The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey
by Fabula.et.Dolum
Summary: After the death of her best friend and the inheritance of her Snivy, Forget-Me-Not, Briar Casey decides to get over her dislike for Unovian Pokemon and go on the journey she's always dreamed of. Written by sushi4427
1. Prologue

_Note: This is not .Dolum's story. This is sushi4427's story, but that person is using this account (don't worry, I asked permission) until Fanfiction will let them post stories (just 2 days, people. I know it's some new kind of torture, but we must be patient.)_

**Author's Note: I just beat Pokémon Black. Like many people, I had my doubts. **_**The Pokémon are so stupid. I don't wanna fight with them**_**. Turns out, some of the Pokémon are amazing, and so is the game. I made this story up as I played it, but changed some things to more fit my liking. And then, unlike any other fanfic I've done, I wrote it down.**

**I make things sad. It's part of how I write, which is what I wish to do for the rest of my life. So yes. It gets sad, or dark, or some other third thing, but it's all alright in the end. Promise.**

**Sa-don-ic [sahr-don-ick] **_**adjective**_**- bitterly sarcastic, darkly humorous, sadistically captivating and entertaining…**

Prologue

The Depressing Funeral and the Necessary Back Story

"Forget-Me-Not," I said, looking at my Snivy. She blinked. I looked at the coffin, scowling. "How utterly appropriate."

Some people say that, when someone you love dies, it simply looks as if they're asleep in some sort of demented bed. It seemed as if the deceased's eyes would pop open at any moment, they described, and they'd smile and laugh and you would, too, but inwardly you'd be crying with happiness. I didn't see it. I really didn't see it. Graciela's skin looked as if had been drained of all the life a person could possibly possess. Her big, curly, beautiful brown hair seemed matted to her head. Dead. My best friend looked dead. And she was.

I turned to the Snivy again, not wanting my eyes to become forever pasted to my dead-as-she-looks best friend. It was almost worse. Forget-Me-Not the Snivy stared at me with sad, curious eyes, as if to say "So… what do we do now?" I sighed, and my head snapped in the direction of the coffin.

"Fiiinneee," I droned, my final words to the girl that, in hindsight, saved my life. Then, last time, I promise, I turned and began to walk away, motioning for Forget to follow. She did.

"We," I began, my voice shaking, "are going to be awesome." Forget practically jumped. She'd heard my endless rants about the Pokémon in Unova. "We're going to train as if it would've kept Gracie from falling over the edge of that cliff thing in Accumula, and we're going to travel and obliterate Gym Leaders, and… and… it's gonna be great!" Though much less poetic, Forget seemed to accept this conclusion, and unleashed the battle cry that she'd never gotten to use. I didn't shush her.

Yes. We'd go on this journey. We'd fulfill the dream I never thought I'd get to do by becoming trainers unlike any other. For Forget. And for Graciela. And for me.

* * *

><p>Don't whine. It's an unwritten rule that the prologue must contain the protagonist's sad, sometimes ironic back story.<p>

My name's Briar Casey. I have long blonde hair that's usually in a braid, hazel eyes, tan skin, and freckles. I was born in Palette Town in Kanto, and from the first moment I saw a Bulbasaur, I knew I wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer. I fantasized, dreamed about it, wrote and drew pictures of my team conquering the most powerful trainers in the world, earning a place among them.

Then we moved to Unova. And people wonder why I'm so sadistic.

It was as if my dream had been ripped from the depths of my once happy heart. I took one look at the Patrat outside my house and cried for a week. How could these… mutants compare to Chansey, or Machop, or my beloved Bulbasaur? And it was because I nearly drowned myself in my own tears that Gracie introduced herself.

She'd heard my sobs from her house next door, and when they didn't stop, she came to see what was causing this flash flood so close to her house. I decided, what the heck, and blubbered out my woeful tale of broken dreams. She listened ("To what I could understand!" she said earlier, laughing her bell-like laugh), and despite the fact that she was only seven years old at the time, comforted me like a professional, paid psychiatrist. None of that "there, there" crap. She hugged me, shushed me, whispered comforting, poetic words. When the tears mercifully stopped, I discovered that she was the closest thing I'd ever had to a best friend, and she seemed happy to fill the long empty position.

She was the one I ranted to about Pokémon. It's really depressing, actually. I seemed to fill any silence slinging insulting remarks at her homeland's Pokémon. It wasn't until after she'd died that I found out that they were something she took pride in.

If you're picturing a Unovian female, you're picturing Graciela. Where other Unovians would look at me and hiss "Foreeignerrrr…" upon sight, they would look at her and invite her in, saying the word "sister" at least ten times. It was almost unreasonable, her with her big, bouncy hair and blue eyes. And she was always bright and cheery, because it seems as if _all _Unovians are bright and cheery. DaAHang it, why the happy people always die, and why do their cranky friends always have to be their legacy?

I didn't rant to them, but there was also Earl and Dina. They were twins our age, and you could tell. The two were practically clones. They were both almost as Unovian as Graciela, crafty, extremely intelligent, and only slightly different. Dina was definitely the more innocent one, and Earl was the more annoying but still fun to be around one. They were our friends, too.

In our eyes, it was us against the world, a monstrous, difficult battle. But we knew that, somehow, we'd always win.

A week before I met Forget, Gracie's mom came knocking on our door, asking for me.

"Yes, Mrs. Pope?" I asked (just so you know, Pope is a pure Unovian last name) after all the usual formalities.

"I wanted to surprise all of you," she explained, obviously meaning me, Graciela, Earl, and Dina, "by giving you Pokémon." The way I crinkled my nose at the thought answered her next question. "The thing is, the Pokémon I want to get are rare, from far away, and rather expensive, so I just wanted to know if you'd actually enjoy one."

"That's fine, Mrs. Pope. I don't need a Pokémon. Thank you for the thought." I answered. And, to keep up my image as the pessimistic Kantonian, I did so with no emotion.

"I'm sorry, Briar. It's just, they really are expensive-"

"Seriously. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you sweetie. Oh, and one more thing."

"Hmm?"

"Could you keep this between us? I want to surprise Earl, Dina, and Gracie."

"Sure, Mrs. P. Bye."

"Bye, dear."

Sure enough, a week later, Mrs. Pope called Earl, Dina, and Gracie for a surprise. I tried to get out of joining them, since I knew what was happening, but Gracie insisted and AI didn't want to make her suspicious. I went in with them, promising myself that my eyes would not throw up at the upcoming scene.

I didn't.

I saw three Pokémon in the following order when we reached Gracie's room: Oshowatt, Tepig, and Snivy. My eyes lingered on Snivy, and I guess they never left. She was beautiful. So regal, so serious, so… _perfect_, unlike any Unovian thing I'd ever seen. Gracie must've liked her, too, because she practically dove for it when her mom told her she could pick one. She cradled Snivy in her arms while Earl and Dina picked (Earl got Tepig and Dina got Oshowatt, with a surprising lack of bickering), and for the billionth time, I was totally jealous of Graciela Pope.

"So what are you gonna name her?" I asked a few days later. I was leaning against a tree and Gracie was sitting in the sun. The wind was whipping her hair around her face, and her head spun as she watched Snivy run in circles around her.

"I wasn't going to," she answered, unsuccessfully trying to push a lock of hair from her eyes. "I was just gonna call her Snivy. Or Snivy, with the I-sound."

"Uh uh," I ordered. "Snivy sounds like some sort of runny nose, and Snivy makes her sound like a snooty rich person. You have to name her.

"Well… okay. What do you suggest?"

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "She's a grass type. Name her after your favorite flower or something."

"Um, okay, but I like a lot of flowers…" Snivy continued to run in circles around a cross-legged Graciela, and I tapped my feet impatiently, pounding the grass beneath me.

"Forget-Me-Not!" she said suddenly, snapping her fingers. Snivy stopped running and I hastily retreated from my Kanto-filled dream world.

"Huh?"

"Forget-Me-Not. That's my favorite flower. They're pretty, but frankly it's mainly because of the name." She picked up Snivy and began to cradle her again. "And it's your name now. But we'll just call you Forget when we're feeling lazy." I'd never seen a Forget-Me-Not or understood the name (it sounded like a catch phrase in a prayer or condolence card), but all to soon it grew extremely fitting.

* * *

><p>This brings us to the short, painful day of Gracie's death.<p>

"Professor Juniper asked me to pick something up from Accumula Town. Can you look after Forget? I won't be long." These were her final words to me, and mine to her weren't even said while looking in her eyes.

"Bye, Gracie. Don't bang your head on the door." My standard good-bye. If I'd known what awaited her in Accumula, it would've been so much more. I was pulling Forget towards me when I heard Gracie's footsteps and the door close, softly, so as not to startle Forget. She didn't bang her head on the door. She did, however, bang it on the old, cracked concrete of Accumula's lower level. She just died, leaving me with the Snivy I'd always wanted in the worst way possible, its name the message I'd always thought of. Forget me not. Forget me not.

* * *

><p>My name is Briar Casey (in case you were illiterate approximately three pages ago), and this is my sardonic adventure.<p>

Let's begin.

**Author's Note: I know this prologue/chapter wasn't the best, but I promise the next one's better. Just bear with me until all the sad or boring stuff ends and the plot begins. I really hope you still liked it, and I'll have the Chapter One up really really soon. Thanks so much for reading, and please review!**


	2. Chapter 1

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Okay, I already have this chapter written down somewhere else, and everyone who read it assured me that it was a lot better than the first one.**

**Anyway, before I let my friend read this one, I told her "What I really want to do is make the most boring part of the game interesting." After she read it, I asked if I'd succeeded.**

"**Yes, *insert any name you wish in here because I won't tell you my real one*. You succeeded." **

**So this chapter is one of my biggest successes. Read on and discover how I supposedly made the beginning of the game, a part dreaded almost as much as Victory Road, interesting!**

Chapter 1

The Twins' Prison Break

"So you're going-" Dina started.

"On an adventure?" Earl finished. They always talked like this.

That's what I've been saying since Gracie died," I answered. At the last word, Dina sniffled, Earl hung his head, and Forget stopped doing her favorite thing (running in circles around her trainer) and sat down. I was the only one who could say she died releasing legendary sobs that could probably be heard in Accumula. After all, _I _was the bitterly realistic one.

"Just you and Forget-Me-Not-"

"Travelling all over Unova?"

"For now," I explained. "But I'll catch more Pokémon, some may not even look like Pokémon, and together all of us will become powerful." I stopped stuffing a brush in my tiny backpack. "Just like I always dreamed." Dina and Earl looked at each other, kind of uncomfortably.

"Maybe-"

"We could go too?" This time, I was zipping up the backpack (carried everything I needed and was lightweight, but at that moment I hated it nonetheless) and stopped, which turned out to be a mistake on my part.

"What do you mean?"

"Well we have Pokémon too!" Dina exclaimed, all by herself.

"She has Oshowatt and I have Tepig and you have Forget. We could all go on a journey," Earl added.

"And, unfortunately, we could never have done that with Gracie."

"She was always more of a stay-at home kinda girl." They looked at me with big, dark blue eyes, as if it was my destiny given to me by the great Oracle of the universe to decide whether they went on a Pokémon journey or not. I knew I would never do so; they were fourteen and should think for themselves. However, I _did _decide that it'd be good for them when they didn't finish each other's sentences.

"I can't make you go or not go," I murmured, attacking the zipper again. "You have to decide for yourselves." Earl and Dina spun on each other, wearing expressions that made it seem as if I'd slapped them. This I didn't get, because I could easily have thought of a hundred other ways to say it, at least twenty-five actually including me slapping them. Why are Unovians such dreamers? Am I the only realistic one in this entire region?

"I… I think it may be good for us," Dina muttered.

"This place has some bad memories, too," Earl added.

"Then you should go," I concluded, out of breath and triumphant from my battle with Senor Zipper.

"Yeah!" Dina agreed.

"We should!" Earl finished. The two darted out the door; I scrambled to follow them, trying to get my backpack on my back at the same time. They didn't even set foot inside their house. They just yelled: "Mom! Dad! We're going on an adventure with Briar!" and slammed the door. Though it seemed impossible to do so without hurting their feelings… maybe I should've rephrased my earlier statement about thinking for yourself.

"Don't you think your parents deserve a bit more than that?" I asked, but the twins didn't even hear me. They were both chattering excitedly, letting Oshowatt and Tepig out of the Poke balls.

"We'll get strong, too-"

"All of us will have a team of our own-"

"6+6+6=18! We'll have 18 of Unova's strongest Pokémon!"

"It will be-"

"Awesome!"

So much for them not finishing each other's sentences.

"Not if I can help it!" All three of us spun around and came face-to-face with Mrs. Baldridge. "Which I can! Because I'm your mother!" Honestly, I don't know how she birthed those two.

"Mom!" Earl complained.

"You can't do this forever!" Dina whined.

"Just watch me! You're far too young!"

"In Kanto, kids could go on Pokémon journeys when they were only ten," I muttered.

"Really? Well, this isn't Kanto, Briar. You of all people know that."

All right. That hurt.

"What's going on?" Mrs. Pope, who was almost at Mrs. Baldridge's side, asked. Ever since Gracie's death, she was paler, talked less, never came out of her house, and always had red, puffy eyes.

"My children are trying to go on a Pokémon journey even though they're far too young!"

"My daughter was far too young to die," Mrs. Pope backfired. "She still did, though."

Oh snap. What now.

Mrs. Baldridge turned her head (in shame, I thought), then said:

"I agree, Rosie. But a journey and death are two very, very different things." All three of us looked to Mrs. Pope for more support.

"Is it really, Daisy? Do you believe that?" I'm not quite sure if this comment was in our favor or against it, but it _did_ make Mrs. Baldridge (her first name was Daisy? What?) think for a second.

"They… they're not leaving." Once again, all of us eyed Mrs. Pope, but she just shook her head and shuffled back to her house. I guess we shouldn't have asked so much from a daughter widow.

"Come, Dina. Come, Earl," Mrs. Baldridge ordered. "You still have chores to do." Dina and Earl followed their cranky mother (seriously, I was beginning to think that her crankiness was like my crankiness but on steroids) back to their house, looking some sort of demented parade of defeat. I sighed, dusting off the old empathy and putting it in overdrive, then sadly walked home, too.

Well of _course _I wasn't starting my adventure today, not after Earl and Dina's brutal defeat. But even if Mrs. Baldridge didn't see it, I did. They should go on this journey. They _needed_ to go on this journey. And I was determined to take them with me.

* * *

><p>"Mrs. Baldridge?" I asked Earl and Dina's slightly scary mother. "Can I say bye to the twins again? I'll be leaving really early tomorrow and, well, they're not really morning people." Mrs. Baldridge debated this for a second, trying to figure out if it was possible that I could yell "RUN!" and have the twins follow and actually survive.<p>

"Earl! Dina! Briar wants to say bye!" The twins couldn't have shown up faster if they'd been wearing jetpacks.

"You're-"

"Leaving?"

"No, no, not right now," I assured them, eyeing their eavesdropping mother. "But I'll be leaving very, _very_ early tomorrow, and I highly doubt you'll be awake when I do. That is, unless you stay up all night or something." The shrewd Baldridge twins seemed to be catching on already.

"You're right-"

"We probably won't."

"Well, I'll throw pebbles at your window just in case," I concluded. I made sure to sound like I was joking, just a little bit. Luckily for me, Dina and Earl already seemed to understand my plan entirely.

"Well, alright-"

"But no promises." I laughed.

"Well then, maybe I'll see you tomorrow. If not… bye." Both hugged me to make it seem realistic (Dina even managed some sniffles and a tear), then I set off back to my house, winking at them only when their mother's back was turned.

* * *

><p>Neither of my parents were in bed, despite the fact that it was almost dawn. They were both proud and worried of their (somehow) beloved daughter, and couldn't seem to fall asleep like normal people. I saw that the light was on in their room, which meant Dad was probably reading. I'd also heard the TV on downstairs for a while now, so Mom had surely been asleep for hours.<p>

When I decided that it was officially safe (actually, more like half an hour after I decided it was officially safe), I crept out of my open door with Forget at my side. I heard Dad snore, which was good. Mom, as expected, was passed out on the couch with 9021Minccino blaring from the TV. I blinked for a second longer than usual, then Forget and I raced quietly out the door.

Just so you know, I didn't enjoy sneaking out early. My parents were Kanto to me, and I definitely didn't enjoy leaving Kanto behind without saying goodbye. I'd left them a note apologizing seven times, explained why I believed Dina and Earl should come with me, told them I loved them, left my Xtransceiver number, and said I was sorry and that I loved them one more time on my pillow.

When I got to the Baldridge home, I scooped up some gravel and began throwing pebbles at their window. I began to worry that they'd fallen asleep after all or, even worse, just given up when Earl finally came to the window.

"Sorry!" he hissed.

"We were getting our stuff," Dina (who had joined him) finished.

"We'll be right down."

"No need," I replied. "Forget, use Vine Whip on their windowsill!" Forget, ever obedient, attached her strong vine to their windowsill. "Climb down." They did, mercifully jumping down early to save Forget from exhausting herself. I picked her up and cradled her, the same way Gracie used to do it, and then we all dashed towards the exit of Nuvema Town.

"Just where do you think you're going?" We spun around, fearing the worst. It wasn't Mrs. Baldridge, though. It was Professor Juniper.

"We're going on an adventure," I explained, meaning to sound brave but having it come out kind of smart-alecky, "and you can't stop us."

"I certainly could," Juniper said, nodding towards Dina and Earl's house. They tensed. "But I won't." All three of us let out our breath. "I just have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes-"

"Ma'am?"

"Fill in these Pokedex," she said, fanning three gleaming, brilliant Pokedex out in front of us like money. Earl and Dina grabbed at them eagerly, but I hesitated, not wanting to believe it. I finally did, though. They were certainly more ostentatious than the ones in Kanto, but they were beautiful nonetheless. After a few seconds of us admiring Juniper's creation, she said: "Go!"

And we did.

And, despite the fact that I'd been outside for a while, I was just now feeling the cool autumn breeze.

**Author's Note: Did I do it? Did I make it interesting?**

**Also, how do you say Pokedex plural? I haven't asked very many people, but those that I have were unsure. Anyone? Anyone?**

**And one more thing: If you're still unsure of what sardonic means, this line sums it up:**

"My children are trying to go on a Pokémon journey even though they're far too young!"

"My daughter was far too young to die," Mrs. Pope backfired. "She still did, though."

Oh snap. What now.

**Making something funny out of something sad or awful, or just being sarcastic to hide your true feelings. It describes a lot of people, actually.**

**Anyway, thanks again for reading, and please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Sorry that it's been a awhile, I left my computer charger at a friend's house.**

**Oh, and also, if any of you hadn't guessed, Dina and Earl look like the male and female people that you play as in the game.**

**Okay, I haven't had anyone proof-read this chapter to tell me if it sucks or not, so enjoy and sorry if it does!**

**Also (last thing, I promise) I cannot add the line that signifies a time lapse or change in subject in this chapter. I tried, I promise, but ti didn't work (suggestions?) So, please mentally add one between "provided couches" and "'Hey, guys-". Thank you for your cooperation.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Or N. (Yeah, he's in this chapter. Fan girls, stop screaming.)**

Chapter 2

The Charming Speech of Team Plasma

We ran to Accumula.

We ran and didn't ever stop, not even for a moment.

And when we got there, we ran a bit more to the Pokemon Center, where a tired Forget rested and all three of us passed out on the provided couches.

"Hey, guys, wake up!" My eyes began to flutter open, but Earl simply groaned and rolled over. "Ugh! What is it with you and mornings?"

"Look whose talking," Earl backfired at his sister. "Remember that one time I had to dump a bucket of water on your face just to make you sit up?"

"That was a one-time thing!"

"But it begs the question," I interrupted, propping myself up on my elbows. "What _are _you doing up?"

"I had a bad dream that Mom found us and I couldn't go back to sleep," Dina answered. "So I took some money, bought a few Poke Balls (I was short, like, three Poke, but the cashier didn't notice), went back to Route 1, and caught this little guy!" She removed a shiny new Poke Ball from her belt and threw it up in the air. A dog thing emerged and began barking excitedly.

"Lillipup," I said. "Looks about level 4, and likes you a lot, judging by the way it runs around your feet."

"Wait," Earl said groggily, his face still in his pillow, "You know how to catch Pokemon?"

"Yeah, of course," Dina answered. "You... throw it. I mean, what else would you do, lick it? It's self-explanatory." Now, she turned to me. "And wow, Briar, I didn't know you could evaluate like that!" Dina exclaimed.

"What's evaluating?"

"But now's not the time for embarassing flashbacks, explanations, or discoveries of hidden talents!" Dina decided, her reaction to my apparently impressive evaluating skills gone. "Come see what's happening outside!" Dina ran from the Pokemon center, Oshowatt and Lillipup following. I jumped up, grabbed Forget's Poke Ball from the counter and released her, and we followed suit.

"Grrrrrr..." grumbled Earl, but he released Tepig and sluggishly followed us.

"We are making Pokemon suffer!" someone in the distance shouted.

"Crap," I muttered. "A prophet." Turns out, it was a whole _herd _of crazy prophets. They were a bunch of knight-wannabes standing behind a dude who looked fat in this totally huge, horrific robe. And to top it all off, they seemed to mark the square they were on (one that was covered with dead, crunchy yellow grass) as their territory with two flags with a "P" on them on either side.

"Pokemon are creatures with incredible potential!" pseudo-fatty ranted. "Potential that we humans deprive them of by locking them away in Poke Balls!" Dina traced the circular outline of her shiny, new Poke Balls that she'd underpaid for just this morning. "We have much to learn of loyalty and power from Pokemon. Therefore, they should all be released into the wild, so that all living creatures can live in harmony and equality!"

Like every trainer in the audience, Lillipup didn't seem to happy at this remark. He began to yip loudly and weave between Dina's feet.

"Shh, Lillipup, it's alright," Dina cooed as she scooped him up. "There's no reason to be upset."

"See?" pseudo-fatty screamed, drawing attention back to himself. "Even the Pokemon agree, but this trainer squleches its cries for help!"

"Hey!" Earl yelled as Dina squeezed Lillipup protectively. "Don't you dare talk about my sister like that!" He began to advance through the crowd, but I pulled him back. What Pseudo was saying... it beared a striking, yet hidden resemblance to something I'd heard in Kanto.

"Consider my words, trainers, and consider your Pokemon. Thank you for your time." In a matter of seconds, Pseudo's little followers gathered up the flags and formed a human shield around him, as if he were a king. Everyone watched as the strange group marched away, with order I hadn't yet seen in Unova.

"Do... do you think he's right?" Dina asked nervously, still hugging Lillipup. "Are we making Pokemon suffer?"

I looked at Forget, who was already gazing at me. I had yet to see Pokemon suffer from simply _being_ with a trainer. I mean, I was positive that Pseudo was right in a sense that some trainers simply used their Pokemon for their own selfish needs. But the only time I'd seen a Pokemon suffer with my own eyes was Forget when Gracie died. But, seriously, I don't think _dying_ counts as making Pokemon suffer.

Forget shrugged.

"No," I replied.

"Of course not!" Earl agreed loudly. "They are just a bunch of freaks who wear stupid costumes and poison the minds of gullible trainers! We should forget every syllable they said and move on." Did I mention that, despite the fact that they were the same age, Earl was still like the overprotective big brother?

"Well, we should definitely move on," I concluded. "Your mother might follow us to Accumula, but surely no further."

"Actually, she wouldn't even do that." We all spun around, this time coming face-to-face with none other than_ Mr._ Bladridge.

"Dad!" the twins exclaimed.

"Before you get down on the ground and start begging me not to take you home, let me get something straight: I'm not." The twins sighed with relief. "I just came to give you a gift. Which one of you has more Pokemon?"

"Me!" Dina squealed, her hand peircing the air above her. Earl scowled.

"Only because you woke up early..."

"Ah yes," their dad continued, wisely ignoring his son's whining. "Now matter what that weird man says, that Lillipup loves you very much, dear. I can tell." Now, he turned to Earl. "Then this is for you, son." Mr. Baldridge reached into his pocket and pulled out a Poke Ball, old and slightly rusted. Earl took it gingerly, as if he was afraid that it would crumble if he was to eager.

"I went on a journey, too, when I was a boy," Mr. Baldridge began. "My dad gave me a Pokemon he'd caught at the end of his own to use. I didn't become the most powerful trainer in Unova, for that wasn't my goal, but that Pokemon did grow extremely powerful as we travelled. One night, I put it in the Day Care while I went on a date with your mother. Turns out, good ol' Captain was a girl." Earl seemed to take this as some kind of cue to release the Pokemon. It was a small bird, with big eyes and a fuzzy head.

"It's adorable!" Dina squealed.

"Yep, that's a Rufflet," Mr. Baldridge continued. "I raised him a bit when your mother wasn't home. Juniper caught me doing it one day, and we talked about the little guy. I'd come to learn that Rufflets shouldn't be girls, which creeped me out considering Captain _was_ one, so I asked her about it. And you know what she did? She laughed, then said: 'Well of _course _there's girls! Where would reproduction fit into that?'" He laughed at the memory, then continued. "Anyway, he'll be a Rufflet for a while, probably a bit longer than you'd like, but at level- well, you'll see- he evolves into Braviary, the best flying type you can get in all of Unova. Enjoy."

"Wow," Earl murmurred, completely mesmorized by the fuzzy being that stood at his feet. Rufflet let out a squawk, which reminded me of a baby crying, then nuzzled up against his leg.

"Oh, and he really is a boy," Mr. Baldridge confirmed. "I checked."

"Lucky!" Dina complained.

"I'm glad you like him," Mr. Baldridge concluded, becoming a pro at ignoring his children's whining. "I'd always known I'd give him to one of you." While Earl stroked Rufflet (who was pecking at pebbles in the dirt), Mr. Baldridge turned to his daughter. "And _you_," he added, "shall have a team that adores you, more than you'll ever know." For a moment, Dina forgot about Rufflet and her jealousy. She simply beamed. "And last but not least, Briar."

Wait, what? Mr. Baldridge had something to say to the blonde, pessimistic Kantonian?

"You will be the best of them all." That's all he said. That I'd be the best, right in front of his two kids (at least they weren't listening). Then, he said goodbye and good luck to Dina and Earl, and headed off "to a lecture sent from the devil from the old ball and chain." A.K.A. his wife.

"That Rufflet says he's quite curious about his mother's trainer's son." All three of us turned the opposite direction. In front of us, examining our Pokemon, was a teenage boy with long, green hair that looked about two years older than us.

"Excuse me, Moss," I said, looking at his unreasonably long hair, "but did you just say that Rufflet _said_ he was curious? Like, he _talked_?"

"Yes. But alas, you can't hear him, I guess," he continued. "And my name is not Moss. It's N."

"N?" I laughed. "Well, N, I'm doing you a favor with a nickname."

"It's amazing," N replied, clearly annoyed with me. "You and your Snivy have some kind of intimate realtionship. Hard to believe."

"It's hard to believe your hair is legal!"

"Guys," Dina interrupted. We both turned in her direction, where Oshowatt and Lillipup looking at us distastefully, and Dina was shaking her head.

"She is right," N agreed. "I can no longer hear your Pokemon through your pointless yelling. Let me hear her again! Battle me!" Huh. I'd never battled before, but who better to be my first opponent?

"Sure!" I answered. "One-on-one. Forget and me versus whoever you have and you."

"Perfect. Go, Purrloin!" Out of N's dramatically thrown Poke Ball, a purple cat thing emerged.

"Purrloin, around level 7 or so," I explained to Forget. "Shouldn't be too hard, especially since you're faster."

"I'm impressed by how well you can evaluate Pokemon-"

"What the crap is evaluating?"

"But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll win. Purrloin, use Scratch!" Instantly, the cat thing sprang into the air and extended its wicked claws, looking like she wanted to kill poor Forget.

"Ack!" I screamed. "Dodge out of the way!" Forget-Me-Not seemed more than happy to obey. A second later Purrloin landed exactly where my Snivy was just a moment before. Her claws got lodged in the ground for a moment, but that was enough of a time slot for the beginning of a plan.

"Use Scratch again, Purrloin!" N ordered.

"So Scratch is its main offensive attack," I observed. "Forget, dodge out of the way again!" She did, but seemed ready to attack now. When Purrloin's claws got stuck, I shouted an order so quickly that I was afraid Forget wouldn't understand:

"Use Vine Whip! Grab her!" She did understand. Fast as lightning, she whipped her vines out and shot them in Purrloin's direction.

"Move out of the way!" N yelled frantically. Purrloin scrambled out of the vines' reach, them only nipping her tail.

"Keep trying to grab her!" I yelled. The next time, one of Forget-Me-Not's vines was able to wrap around her leg and began to pull her in. In seconds, N's Purrloin was wrapped in vines and a few feet in the air.

"Finish her off," I ordered. Forget interpretted this as an excuse to throw Purrloin into a nearby building. She had completely fainted before she even hit the ground.

"Purrloin, come back," N ordered sadly, returning his unconcious Purrloin to her Poke Ball. Then, he turned to me. "Your Snivy, Forget-Me-Not, says that was her first battle. Most impressive." He turned agian, his chin in his hands. "However, I've been thinking about what Team Plasma-"

"That's their name? That's really lame."

"You interrupt people a lot, don't you? It's really annoying. Anyway, I've listened to what Team Plasma is saying, and perhaps they are right. Maybe trainers _are _making Pokemon suffer." Once more he looked at me, his eyes flashing. "Think about it, would you?" N spun around and stalked off in the direction of the Pokemon Center.

"That-"

"Was-"

"Awesome!" Dina and Earl began fussing over me, thanks to my epic victory against N/Moss, king of weird Unovian dudes with long green hair.

"We should probably go, though," I insisted. "Your dad may be wrong about your mom not coming." They agreed. We didn't pass N on the way. However, it wasn't until we were in the heart of Route 2 that I realized I hadn't, not once, called Forget by her full name.

**Author's Note: First off, sorry if it's got spelling or grammatical issues. This is on Wordpad instead of Microsoft Word now, so no spell check.**

**Once again, I'm sorry it's been a while. I'll try to write more often! Thanks, and (as usual), please review.**


	4. Chapter 3

The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey.

**Author's Note: Just in case you are like Miss .Dolum who shoves her iPod in my face and yells "WHY HAVEN'T YOU UPDATED?", three simple reasons: homework, chores, and lack of Internet. Sorry.**

**Okay.**

**Since Fanfiction won't let me change my stories, I repeat: I can no longer signify time lapses with stars. Luckily, I am getting to a point where time lapses are no longer common. Anyway, I'll mark with a "The next morning..." or "Later..."**

**Just imagine the disembodied hand from Spongebob saying it or something.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Or Spongebob. No, unlike N in my last author's note, he's not in the story.**

Chapter 3

Earl Baldridge Steals My Thunder

The upside to not sprinting across routes is that you're not about to pass out by the time you get to the next town. The down side is the... _trainers_.

I mean, they called themselves YOUNGSTERS. Who could possibly want to be called a YOUNGSTER?

Anyway, we took turns battling them. Earl and Tepig, Dina and Oshowatt, Earl and Rufflet, Dina and Lillipup. Forget and I went last because it was us that had the epic battle with N, and that was okay by me. I bet Forget leveled up, like, three times after beating Purrloin. All these guys had were Patrats and stuff. Really? Patrat?_ Patrat_? Note to all you "youngsters": A LEVEL 2 PATRAT DOESN'T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST A LEVEL SEVEN LILLIPUP, OR RUFFLET, OR OUR STARTERS.

And Dina's Lillipup! She must've gotten the pick of the litter or something, because the rest _sucked_.

Anyway, after what seemed like an eternity of creaming weak Pokemon, we reached Striaton. I liked it a lot more than Accumula, since there was no herds of crazies, or fields of dead grass that crazies ranted on, or cracked concrete that breaks your best friend's head open.

"Wow!" Dina gasped, gazing at the nice buildings (also better than Accumula's). "Why doesn't Nuvema have any places like this?"

"Because Nuvema is one of those places that is frozen and time and whose population will only change when its young people can no longer take the boring and go on a journey. Like us," I answered. Dina and Earl slowly turned their heads toward me. "What?"

"On that note," Earl chirped, my totally true statement about our hometown forgotten, "I'm gonna go challenge the gym."

"Challenge the gym?" Dina laughed. "All you've fought are a few Patrats on Route 2. What makes you think you can beat a gym leader?"

"Well, it's worth a shot, right?" Not wanting to hear Dina warn him more or me make fun of him, Earl shot off in the direction of one of the nicest buildings in the city. His sister turned to me.

"So, what do we do now-"

"Oh my! Do you happen to be Dina and Briar?" Both of us spun around. In front of us was a tall, lanky woman, definitely taller than most Unovian women (as was I). She had on a pair of sneakers that greatly contradicted her pencil skirt, as well as an untucked button-up shirt. Her jet-black hair almost went down to her knees, and she wore a pair of glasses that reminded me of the Hoothoot in the region next to Kanto, Johto.

"Um... yes?"

"Oh then it's so very nice to meet you!" The lady dove for our hands and shook them vigorously. At the same time. With her arms crossed. "But where are my manners? My name is Fennel. I'm a friend of Juniper, and my, she's told me a lot about you three!" Fennel stopped shaking and loosened her grip on our hands, making them no longer purple, simply white. "Where's the third one?"

"My brother's in the gym," replied Dina, trying to weasel her hand out of Fennel's.

"Oh, oh, of course, of course!" exclaimed Fennel, reassuming the dislocation of our arms. "The gym is an extremely popular place here in Striaton, and it may be the most famous gym in Unova."

"Why?" I asked, smoothly slipping my hand out of Fennel's. She continued to shake the air. I was wrong. There _were _some crazies here.

"Oh, because- wait, if you haven't been in there yet, I shan't tell you." She let go of our hands (right after I broke free!) and turned, and for good measure, crossed her arms and pouted her lips. She looked like a six-year-old refusing to tell his mother who broke the vase. Then, as if on cue, Earl exited the gym and looked in our direction. He laughed when he saw us.

"You guys are in for a treat!" It was just then that he noticed Fennel... and she noticed him.

"Oh, you must be Earl!" He cocked his head, confused, but Dina and I answered all his questions with us pointing to our right and mouthing "GO!" He got it. Acting as if he didn't see or hear Fennel, he ran in the direction we were pointing.

"Huh," sighed Fennel. "Guess he didn't hear me." She turned back to us. "Anyway, when you're done with the gym, come see me in my lab! It's upstairs in that building. Au revoir!" With a surprisingly elegant wave, the scientist (I think) left and ran towards the building she'd pointed to. When she disappeared inside, Dina immediately grabbed her left hand.

"I'm not sure if I'll ever feel poor Lefty again," she gasped.

"While you try to nurse your hand back to health," I said, "I'm gonna go check out the gym and see what all the fuss is about."

"No!" Dina exclaimed. "I-I mean, I'll go to." The two of us trotted up the steps and through the door, and immediately the smell of food consumed every inch of our bodies.

"Welcome to the Striatoon City Gym, which is also a restaurant," someone said. The voice belonged to this guy with a weird haircut behind a counter.

"A restaurant that's a gym?" I repeated. "They didn't have that in Kanto."

"Do you think that's what Earl was talking about?" Dina asked.

"I highly doubt it," I answered. "I hardly think that the gym being a restaurant is 'You're in for a treat!' and laugh worthy."

"You are correct."

"Where are all these disembodied voices coming from?"

"Over here." Dina and I turned and saw some old dude leaning against a statue. I tried to read the enscription, but before I could, Oldie slapped his hand over it.

"I'm Clyde, and if you wish to know what the truly unique thing about Striaton's gym is," he continued, "solve the puzzle and get to the back of the restaurant." I grumbled, but Dina moved eargerly towards the ginormous red curtain next to a few tables. In front of it were three buttons, one blue, one green, and one red, like the curtain.

"What do we do?" Dina asked.

"You step on that one, I step on this one," I suggested. I stepped on the red button and nothing happened, but when Dina stepped on the blue, the curtain lifted and revealed another room.

"Oh," I realized. "The curtain represents a type, like that one represented fire, and you stepped on the blue button, so it opened up."

"Clever," Clyde said, picking something off the statue.

"Let's go," Dina urged. However, two steps in, someone yelled, and a waitress came over to battle her. I was irritated and took her on, beating her in so few hits that it wasn't even interesting.

"Just go," she said, hanging her head in shame. The two of us moved forward. The next curtain was blue, so we stepped on the green button together and watched as the curatin moved aside. The two of us peeked in. A waiter was cleaning a table, his back to us. The curtain was green, and the red button was directly in front of us.

"We can make it," I whispered. Dina nodded. "One, two, three-"

"Jason! Two trainers here!" We spun around and saw a smiling waitress relighting a candle.

"I see," Jason the waiter said. "Who want's to battle?" Dina got to do it this time, taking him out in a few water guns. Once again, not interesting. While he sulked, Dina and I pressed the button that we'd meant to push dramatically before. The green curtain moved aside, showing the gym leader... and the gym leader... and the gym leader.

"Oh," I muttered.

"That's the treat," Dina added.

"Welcome to the Striaton City Gym!" one of them said dramatically. He had green hair that curled on the top and bottom, and green eyes. They looked familiar...

"I am Cilan, the grass trainer here," he continued.

"I'm Chili," said a guy that had crazy red hair and a loud voice, "and I'm the fire trainer!"

"I'm Cress," said I guy with blue hair that looked bored. "Like my brothers, my hair tells the story."

"Your eyes have no whites!" I yelled suddenly.

"Um, what?" Chili asked.

"Cilan! His eyes have no whites!" I repeated.

"How is that anatomically possible?" Dina asked.

"Thanks for pointing that out," Cilan muttered.

"No!" I insisted. "Your eyes have no whites! Like Gracie!"

"Oh my gosh!" Dina exclaimed. "You're right!" Cilan's skin drained of all color.

"You... you knew Gracie? Graciela Pope?"

"Oh no," Cress muttered, pushing his hair back. "Not this again."

"She was my best friend," I answered stoically. "But how do _you_ know her?"

"Oh, she was my friend too," Cilan replied. "She came to Striaton sometimes. Or Accumula." I gulped. She died in Accumula.

"She did go to Striaton sometimes," Dina murmurred, barely audible.

"No," Cilan murmurred as well, louder. "I mean, yes, she did. But... never mind." He shook his head. "Anyway, what Pokemon do you have? Let us see." Dina yanked her two Poke Balls from her belt and let out Lillipup and Oshowatt.

"Great," chirped Cilan, his face brightening. "You'll battle me and my Pansage, then." He turned to me. "And what about you?" Spiteful that I only had one Pokemon, I released Forget. Chili leaped forward, startling me and Dina enough to make us step back.

"You'll be fighting me then!" he yelled.

"Yes," Cilan agreed. "You'll fight Chili here." After fiddling with his ear a bit (probably making sure that it still worked), Cilan continued: "Anyway, as you can tell, our Pokemon have the upper hand against yours, so you might want to train. I suggest the Dreamyard, east of here."

"Do you think that's where Earl went?" Dina asked me.

"Probably. Let's go." We both started towards the front door, but I stopped. "Wait a minute." Grinning, I turned to Dina and asked: "Hey, can borrow Oshowatt for, like, however long it takes to beat Chili?" For once, the boy with the fiery hair was speechless.

"But I wouldn't have much use for Forget, now, would I?" Dina countered.

"You could trade with Earl. Then we'd all be happy." Now all of them were speechless. Personally, I was surprised that the idea had never occured to anyone.

"Just go to the Dreamyard," Clyde ordered. "No trading allowed." We both groaned, but as we passed him, he added: "Or necessary." I took this as a good sign and headed east.

The Dreamyard, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was magnificent. I mean, sure, everything was in decay, but that added to the magic. As we later learned from an old man, the Dreamyard was actually an old factory that went out of business or caught on fire or something and, after a few years of eroding, became a habitat for Pokemon. A few other trainers were there, which I didn't really understand since all the grass was behind a stupid little tree, just big enough to cover a person-sized hole. We ran into Earl, who was running out (probably on his way to the gym), looking excited. he reversed when he saw us.

"You know, Briar," he said, "I've been thinking, and, most powerful trainer in Unova sounds pretty cool. I'll try it too."

"No."

"You can't tell what I can and can't do."

"I liked you better when you asked me for permission for everything."

"Well, too bad!" Earl exclaimed. "I'm going to be the Champion and you won't stop me."

"What's gotten into you, Earl?" Dina asked, worried.

"Inspiration!" he answered. "However, Earl isn't a cool enough name for a Champion. Maybe... Troy! Or.. Estroy!"

"Estroy?" Dina and I asked at the same time.

"So maybe not the best. But I _will _be Champion! Just watch me!" Then, before we could bash or lecture him any more, he ran off towards the gym.

"Well that was weird," I offered. "Let's check this place out." Earl (because that was his name) did do something helpful: he cleared out all the trainer's Pokemon so we could explore without any stupid puns before a forced battle. We still talked to the trainers, though. Turns out, they don't always speak in the language of "LET'S BATTLE!" One of them, in fact, wasn't even a trainer. We talked to him for a few minutes, complaining about the gym leaders.

"I can help you," he said. "I breed elemental monkeys like they have. You two can have some of them, depending on who you have to fight."

"I have to fight Chili," I answered, excited at the prospect of having another Pokemon. "Got anything?"

"I like you," he answered. "because you're hilarious." I _had_ been told that my rants were hilarious. "So, I'll give you something that's pretty rare: a female Panpour." He reached into the bag that lay by his feet and pulled out Poke Ball. He realeased the Pokemon inside, revealing a monkey thing with a blue geyser on it's head. "You'll thank me when she evolves; never seen a more feminine Pokemon." He tossed me the Poke Ball. I caught and examined it, then the Panpour. Forget, who I'd let out to explore, began interacting with her.

"If she's a girl," I decided, "then I'll call her Tea. Because... I like Tea."

"That's a nice name. And what about you, Dina, right?" While Dina showed off her Oshowatt, I watched Forget and Tea interact. They seemed to already be getting along just fine. Kind of like me and Gracie, except niether of them were weeping.

"Briar! Look!" I turned and found Dina fussing over a monkey similar to mine, but with a gigantic red swirl on it's forhead. He seemed to be enjoying it. I guess that the dude didn't have a female Pansear yet.

"He's cute," I said, pulling out Forget and Tea's Poke Balls. I wait for them to stop talking (or that's at least what seemed like), then returned them.

"You might want to train them a bit before taking Cilan or Chili on," the boy advised. "Level 12 or 13 would be best, but I bet you two could beat them at level 11." We thanked him, then headed towards Route 2.

"Their both around level 10, so we won't have to train much," I assured Dina, who nodded. "We can just beat a few Patrats and it will be enough."

"You got that right!" We both spun around and found ourselves next to Earl.

"Hey, Estroy," I greeted. "Got any more bright ideas to share with us?"

"Nothing new, except that I won with my new PANSAGE. I bet I could beat both of you without even healing right now." I turned her Dina. Her expression was sad; it said "What has been done to my brother?"

"Well?" I dared. "Are you?"

"Not yet," he replied. "I'll let you two get your badges, _then _we'll battle.

"Awesome," I muttered. After a few more pretentious words, he left us to train. Apparently he was going to the trainer's school or something. After we shared a look that said "Well that was obnoxious", we started training. Apparently, Dina wasn't very good at it. She had to keep going back to the Pokemon Center because her Pokemon got beaten. While I was done in about thirty minutes, it probably took her about two hours. I did notice, however, that not once did her Pokemon waver in their love for her. Impressive, considering how many times they fainted.

"You go on ahead," she said when she realized that Forget, Tea, and I were ready to fight Chili. "I'll catch up with you."

"You sure? I may be able to help you." By the way Oshowatt, Lillipup, and Pansear glared at me, I could tell that certainly wasn't what _they _wanted.

"Positive. Go on, Chili won't stand a chance." I took one last look at Dina and her Pokemon, then headed towards the gym. When Clyde saw Tea, he smiled and said:

"See? No trading necessary." I smiled at him and walked purposefully to the back of the gym, where Chili was waiting.

"Where do all the trainers get Panpours?" yelled Chili.

"Maybe we should stop suggesting that they go to the Dreamyard," Cress hinted. His redhead brother sighed.

"Oh well. If you wish to battle, I must accept. I, Chili, Striaton's fire gym leader, um... accept!" He reached for one of the Poke Balls on his fancy waiter belt, then released a Lillipup. It yipped, already less energetic than Dina's.

"Alright. Your turn, Forget." My Snivy stepped forward confidently, but not before I whispered: "Level 12. You can take him."

"Lillipup! Fire up this battle with a tackle!" 'Fire up this battle'? Really? Anyway, I yelled to Forget:

"Smack him out of the way with Vine Whip!" Much faster than Lillipup could land, Forget shot out her vines and swatted him away before he even touched her.

"Get back up and use Growl!" Chili ordered, sparing us the fire pun. Lillipup jumped up (with at least a little difficulty) and let out a mighty... roar? Bark? Whatever it was meant to be, Forget seemed unaffected.

"Um, use Vine Whip again, I guess," I commanded. Like before, Forget whipped out her vines and slashed at Lillipup again. This must've hurt even more, because by the time Forget-Me-Not was done, Lillipup seemed near fainting.

"Try using Tackle again, as fast as you can!" ordered Chili. I admire that he was still trying, but Lillipup didn't stand a chance.

"Vine Whip, one more time!" As suspected, this was enough to finish him off. Chili returned Lillipup to his Poke Ball, whispered something to it, then clipped it to his belt. In one swift movement, he released his strongest Pokemon: a Pansear, like Dina's.

"This is your time, Tea," I said to my new Panpour, who stepped forth proudly. This time, though, Chili was _not_ getting the first attack. "Use Water Gun!" Tea unleashed a torrent of water on Pansear, much more than the Patrats on Route 2. Pansear dodged out of the way without being told, but some of the water still nipped his tail.

"Use Incinerate!" Chili yelled. A blast of fired flared from Pansear's mouth, and it hurdled with extraordinary speed towards Tea.

"Dodge it!" I screamed, seriously scared for her life in that moment. I guess blasting that insane amount of water slowed her down, though, because she wasn't fast enough. The fire hit her point blank. However, after a moment of her lying down and us remembering that she was water type, Tea got back up. And this time, she seemed angry. It was as if that awful attack was nothing more than a slap to her. I couldn't see her expression, but it must've been terrifying, because not only did Pansear jump, but so did the triplets, even Cress.

"Try using Incinerate again!" Chili ordered, but I knew it would take a lot of slaps to make Tea faint. It was a test of power now.

"Use Water Gun, then," I commanded. Tea used her attack and Pansear used his, them hitting each other dead on. The were two things going on here: Tea had the type advantage, but Pansear was a higher level. Their two attacks seemed to balance each other out for about two seconds.

Type advantage won.

After those tense seconds, Water Gun blasted through Incinerate and, somehow, hit Pansear even better than his earlier Incinerate hit Tea. The difference, though, was that he was weak to water. Therefore, he fainted.

"That was AWESOME!" Chili yelled. "I mean, I'm sad that my Pansear and Lillipup fainted, but... wow! Here you go: the Trio Badge." He extended his hand, and in his palm was a small metal piece that had three triangles on top of it, one (surprise surprise) was green, the other red, the other blue. This cold, probably not even real piece of metal was the first step to achieving my dream.

"Thanks," I murmurred, clutching this little piece of dream, knowing that never again will I let it be taken away.

**Author's Note: I spanned this over the course of a few days, and now it's like, 1, because I wanted to finish it before bed. Yay.**

**Sorry if there's errors, please review, all that good stuff. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 4

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: I forgot this in the last author's note: I don't think you know how hard it is to get a female Panpour in the game. Get a female Snivy? I only had to reset, like, three times. But for Tea? I had to reset_ twelve times_, no joke. It was irritating.**

**Once again, I am not on Microsoft Word, and I'm so so sorry if there's grammatical or spelling errors.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Duh.**

Chapter 4

This Chapter Is Only a Dream

After my victory against Chili, Forget, Tea, and I set out on a search for Dina and her Pokemon. We first searched on Route 2, but they weren't there. We also checked the trainer's school, but I left the second I realized Earl was there, too. I checked every building in Striaton, even the gym again, but Dina was no where to be found. Then I relized I forgot one building. Well, I either forgot, or my mind screamed "NO WE'RE NOT GOING THERE!" every time I thought about it: Fennel's apartment. Fearing the worst for poor Dina, I took a deep breath and went in.

Normal people lived on the first floor. I talked to them a bit; yes, they said, a short girl with long brown hair came in earlier with Fennel. They also mentioned that, despite her personality and overall appearance, she was a great scientist. Still, I hurried remaining conversation along and dashed up the stairs when we were done.

There were four people in the apartment/lab when I got there. There was Fennel, of course, fussing over some rusted machine. There was also a little girl, couldn't be a day older than 12, who was fussing over another machine by a bed. Then there was another girl (I'll go ahead and tell you that there was no testosterone in the room), with shoulder length, curly black hair, with a little bit of blonde. She wore a black, one-button jacket that hid a white shirt, had a black skirt, and black, knee-high Converse. Despite how spiffy she looked, what really struck me were her eyes: blue, but imagine that bluest blue you can think of, then make them bluer. And, having a seemingly normal conversation with her, was Dina.

"Oh! Briar!" my friend called out. This wouldn't have been a problem, except for the fact that Fennel was right next to me in about three miliseconds.

"Oh, Briar, how very nice to see you again! Did you beat the gym? I saw Dina training all by her lonesome on Route 2, so we came back here, and she told me you were at the gym. Did you beat whichever one you fought?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Congrats, Briar!" Dina yelled from across the room.

"Yes, yes, congratulations, my dear. Anyway, let me introduce you to some of my assistants in the lab." She grabbed my arm with even more force than my hand before and guided me towards the girl by the bed. "This is Amanita. An absolute genius, despite her age. Say hi, Ammy." Amanita looked at me, her eyes hidden behind a pair of blue glasses.

"Hi." Immediately, she buried her head in her work again.

"Oh, don't be so shy, dear. Amanita created the Unovian PC, isn't that impressive?"

"That... actually is. Yes."

"And this," she continued, motioning towards the spiffy girl, who was now getting up and walking towards me, "is Jazelle. She was interested in some of the research I'm doing and has been helping me."

"Wait," Jazelle asked dramatically, "is it true that after the first time you saw a Patrat that you cried for a week?" I glared at Dina, who shrugged. I did kind of see why my friend had seemed to tell her not only her life story but mine also, though. Everything about Jazelle seemed welcoming, seemed to say: "Just tell me. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"Maybe," I answered suspiciously. She laughed. My first thought was that she was mocking me. However, this wasn't a mocking laugh as much as an understanding laugh.

"It's okay," she assured, "Patrats seem to have that effect on people." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Jazelle." I took it, and immediately a surge of recognition flowed through me. I looked past her for a moment at Dina, who gave me a look. It said: "I know. I see it too." And I know it seemed like everything reminded me of her at this point, but... Jazelle looked a _lot_ like Gracie, almost the same but her eyes had whites and her hair and skin were darker.

"It's... nice to meet you," I answered. Even the way she smiled was similar.

"Innyhoo," shouted Fennel, "I'm sad to say that, since our research is almost done, I'll be losing her soon."

"What do you need to finish?" Dina asked, obviously not one of the conversation topics between her and Jazelle.

"This thing called Dream Mist that you get from Munna," Jazelle answered, crossing her arms. "However, when we finally got to the point where we had any use for it, the Munna stopped coming. We're not quite sure why, but they used to wander all around the old factory in the Dreamyard, and now they just... don't."

"Well we can go check it out for you," Dina volunteered.

"Really?" Fennel asked. "You'd do that?"

"Sure," I answered. "Anything for Gra- Jazelle. And you."

"Well than that would be fabulous!" Fennel exclaimed, making a move for my hand or some other attached limb. I stuck both arms behind my back to make sure this didn't happen. "Innyhoo, all you need to do is cut down that little tree that is blocking the entrance to the factory and see if any Munna are there."

"Cut?" Dina asked. "Isn't that an attack?"

"It is," Jazelle answered, "but the HM accidentally got incinerated-" she glared at Fennel and I had a sudden urge to run "-so we just use this machete." From beside a bed, Jazelle produced a machete that looked newer than almost everything else in the room. I took it from her cautiously. "Yep. That thing certainly puts a hurting on that poor tree."

"Um... thanks," I replied.

"Well, goodbye then, and get us lots of Dream Mist!" Fennel called. Dina and I rushed from the apartment.

"Well. That is certainly a weird residence... if you could call it that," I huffed.

"Definitely," Dina agreed. "But doesn't Jazelle remind you of Gracie?" We spent our entire short walk to the Dreamyard talking about Jazelle, and then I brought up her training.

"I think I can fight the gym leader now with Pansear," she explained. "I was actually about to go challenge Cilan when Fennel found me. I really didn't want to go, but I didn't want to be rude, either, so..."

"Look at how nice you are, Dina," I joked. "Look at all it's done for you." When we got to the tree, I began to hack at it with the machete. It had definitely provoked looks in Striaton, but here the trainers seemed more understanding. I even heard one mutter "Oh, they're with Fennel." After I had succcessfully hewed that tree to nothing but a few crushed up leaves and some ripped bark, Dina and I entered.

If me and my friend had been fascinated by the outside of the old factory, we were in awe of the inside. It was positively decrepit, with half the floor missing and crumbling, if not gone, walls. Where plaster and paint used to be only large pieces of steel and wires remained, all bent and rusted. The tiles had grass and vines growing in between the grout, and an entire patch of grass was tucked away in a shadowy corner. Peices of ceiling and wall had fallen down and were now platforms to higher levels, if you dared venture further up in this unstable place.

"I can see why the Munna like it here," Dina gasped.

"Well let's see if we can find one." Dina and I walked a bit further in and, thank you our astounding luck, a Munna emerged cautiously from the shadows. It was cute, though the only way to describe it was that it was pink with purple flowers on it, and it flew.

"Look at it! It's adorable!" Dina squealed excitedly. Munna just looked at us with its big red eyes.

"Let's see if it'll give us some Dream Mist," I suggested, slowly advancing towards it.

"Not so fast!" Dina and I spun around, coming face-to-face with two... Plasma grunts. Fantastic. "We were sent to get Dream Mist from that Munna, and we'll be taking it with us."

"Hey, look, Dee," I sassed. "I didn't know that King Arthur's crazy knock-offs were in town."

"You're just jealous because your clothes will never be as cool as ours!" one of the grunts yelled. I looked down at what I'd been wearing since I set off on my journey: a really long beige trechcoat that covered my shorts, and black combat boots. I don't know, I liked my clothes.

"Cooler than any costumes I have," I backfired. "Maybe. It's highly unlikely."

"We did not come here to get made fun of by children," the other grunt said. "We came here for Munna, and we're not leaving without it." The two grunts pushed past Dina and I and strutted over to the Munna, which had looked happy when it saw Dina (like all wild Pokemon) but now scared. "Now, how do we get it to give us Dream Mist?"

"I don't know the _normal_ way," replied the second grunt, "but we can certainly try this!" And get this: he _kicked_ the Munna. **_Kicked_** the Munna. I'm totally serious.

"No!" Dina screamed. "You're hurting her."

"Team Plasma doesn't care for your petty concerns!" cried the first grunt. "We do what we do for the greater good of Pokemon!" He gave it another firm kick, making the Munna cry out, too. It was drifting closer and closer to the ground.

"You're kicking it for its greater good?" I countered.

"What the heck is going on?" All of us spun around, and the grunts suspended their beating of the Munna for a moment to see who had said it. The person was none other than Jazelle, who upon realizing what the grunts were doing, looked furious. She ran up to them with speed I didn't know she had, which was a courageous thing to do since the grunts were so much bigger than her (she was shorter even than Dina).

"You... you... you," she stuttered, then decided that she was too angry to talk. Instead, she _round-house kicked grunt #1 in the face_. Seriously. I know I'm using a lot of italics right now, but rightfully so.

"Whoa!" the other grunt said. "What the h-" Instead of letting him finish, Jazelle knocked him down with solid punch to the face.

"Whoa!" I yelled enthusiastically. "Dude, I was hoping that there would be someone totally bada-"

"Briar!" Dina interrupted.

"Fine. BA on our adventure, but I didn't expect it'd be you!" All of the sudden, out of absolutely nowhere, Ghetsis appeared. And then... another Ghetsis appeared.

"What the?" proclaimed the wounded grunts.

"We do not hurt Pokemon," Ghetsis (both of them) said eerily. "EVER."

"YESSIR!" screamed the two grunts together. Then, so fast that they blew my braid in front of my face, they ran from the Dreamyard.

"What... the crap?" I muttered.

"I don't-" Jazelle began, but stopped when a shaped moved in the shadows. In seconds, a huge, pink and purple curled up thing appeared. It floated, taking its sweet time, towards the Munna. After a few seconds of floating next to each other for a few seconds, they returned to their shadowy home.

"What the crap was that?" I yelled.

"Oh," Jazelle said understandingly. "I get it."

"I repeat, since no one seemed to notice... WHAT THE CRAP IS GOING ON?"

"That's Musharna," Jazelle answered. "It can get into your head and make dreams. However, unlike many other psychic Pokemon, it usually is peaceful and only uses its power for good. It must've come when it sensed that Munna was in trouble."

"Well, okay-"

"OH MY GOSH!" Jazelle squealed. She slid over to the spot where Munna and Musharna were.

"What is it?" Dina asked.

"It's Dream Mist!" Jazelle answered excitedly. "Quick! Does anyone have a jar? Can?"

"Sorry, when I left home, I didn't consider carrying any jelly with me," I grumbled, still confused.

"Then give me a Poke Ball! Anything!" Jazelle screamed frantically. Dina dug at her belt and tossed her one of her shiny new Poke Balls. Jazelle opened the Poke Ball and waited for a moment. Then, with the atounding speed I'd seen before, she closed it and smiled.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Hey, Jazelle, wait," I ordered. She turned.

"Yes?"

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Thirteen," she answered. Dina and I looked at each other, stunned. "What? Almost fourteen. Now come on." Jazelle scurried past ahead of us in the direction of the lab, and we felt obligated to follow her. She stopped to wait for us by the hole in the wall, and then we continue to the apartment together.

"Fennel!" she cried on the way up the stairs. "Great news! We got the Dream Mist." Fennel, who was crouched beside the rusted machine again, craned her head to reveal her huge purple eyes behind her glasses.

"Really? Fabulous, fabulous!" The scientist took the Poke Ball from Jazelle's outstretched hand, not questioning the odd container.

"I never really thought of Poke Balls as useful for storing Pokemon," Dina murmured, "but Jazelle may be onto something."

"I don't think so," I replied, thinking of random Poke Balls holding things in the wild. Suddenly, Fennel absorbed Jazelle into a crushing hug.

"Oh, what a shame, what a shame!" she cried woefully. "When my experiment's done, you'll be gone!"

"It's okay, Fennel," Jazelle assured awkwardly, giving her a pat on the back. It was obvious the thirteen-year-old (still didn't believe it) had gotten more used to Fennel than most people, but still seemed ready to move on and do something else.

"And you two!" she cried once more, now pulling me and Dina into the hug. I saw Amanita, who was designing a box for the P.C., grin. "I hardly got to see you at all! It was like you got here and now you're about to leave again!"

"Briar and my brother will probably leave soon," Dina comforted, "but I still have to beat Cilan, so I may be here for a while."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Fennel squealed, suddenly switching emotions, and mercifully releasing Jazelle and I but now concentrating all her hugging/crushing energy on poor Dina. "I cannot wait to see you again shortly."

"Um... yeah," Dina agreed. Funny. Usually I was the one that said that. "Anyway, I have to go find Earl, and then actually challenge the gym, so I'll see you later."

"Me too," I agreed eagerly, sprinting to the stairs.

"All right then," Jazelle said sadly. "Bye. It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you, too," I answered earnestly. What I really wanted to do was say "It was so good to see you again." Dina and I descended the stairs sadly. I liked Jazelle, especially after her show of fighting skills, and Fennel had grown on me. Even little Amanita, who'd only ever said one word to me, would be hard to leave behind.

"Yay depressing departures," I complained.

"We've both been through worse," Dina replied. It was a very un-Dina thing to say, and I decided to stay quiet until we left the building. However, we soon found an unwelcome surprise.

"Briar!" Earl cried when he saw us. "I saw you beat the gym!"

"Yes," I sighed. "But I'm kind of depressed and I have to wait for Dina to beat the gym so I will NOT battle you." Earl staggered back, stunned. It felt good to put him in his place.

"Well... okay."

"You guys can go on ahead if you want," Dina said.

"What?" Earl and I asked simaltaneously.

"It's not really a secret that I'm not the best trainer of us three," she replied, embarassed. "It may take me awhile to beat Cilan. I don't want you to have to wait for me to do something that may take forever." Even Earl seemed to understand the magnitude of the situation. In case you've forgotten, and I don't blame you if you do, Dina and Earl were twins. But in Nuvema, less than three days ago, these two couldn't finish a sentence because the other did it for them. It was astounding how quickly they were changing. Dina was independent; Earl was Estroy.

I said sure, I'd go on ahead, as if I were in a trance.

**Author's Note: Sorry it took awhile to put this up. I wrote a little bit each day. Turns out, that's not an effective method. **

**Thanks for reading, and I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner than I did this one. Also, I need to know if some of my characters seem flat. Namely in this chapter, Jazelle. I've been told I need to work on that kind of thing. Oh, and also, if things seem hurried. Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 5

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to SkullChicka for reviewing! And you're right. Jazelle is pretty cool. :)**

**Update: It _is _Pokedexes, my sister told me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I'm sorry. I can't think of something witty to end this with.**

Chapter 5

Cilan's Bored

Let's just say, any journey is more exciting when you're traveling with Earl, obnoxious or otherwise. At this point in time, he had been brought down a notch because of Dina kind-of-in-a-way abandoning him (accidentally... maybe). He was silent as we entered the beautiful gardens outside Striaton, and he looked so empty that I didn't even call him Estroy. We were both a little down, because his being down made me down, and we decided that maybe wandering the pretty gardens would make us feel better. Forget and I stared at a topiary of a Pidove, but Earl went on.

"What the crap is this thing?" he asked, standing in front of a topiary closer to the back. My jaw almost hit the soft, dew-covered grass.

"It's a Pikachu!" I screamed, practically trampling Earl as I scrambled to the topiary. "It's a Pokemon from Kanto!" After years of Patrats and eyes with no whites, this shaped-from-a-bush piece of Kanto was a drink of fresh water after a week in the desert.

"It looks funny," Earl remarked bitterly.

"And you think Estroy is a cool name."

"I've already told you, that's not my best! Let it go!" He put his chin in his hands, as if he were deep in thought. As if he had the brains to be deep in thought. "Maybe something else, though. Like... Luckwin."

"Luckwin?" I laughed. "You have no luck, and you don't win. Where did you get that?"

"I _did_ win, though, against Cress!" Earl said, sounding kind of pathetic to the point where it made me feel bad.

"Look, I'm sorry, man. You do win. I... just haven't seen it with my own eyes yet."

"Well, you will, when we battle!" He pulled out his Poke Balls, basically asking.

"Be patient, man. Wait 'til we at least have the same number of Pokemon." He grumbled and put them away. But to save my pride, I _did _think I could beat him, but I really didn't feel like battling. Forget and Earl finally pried me away from the topiary, we continued through the vine-covered arbor.

"Look, it's the daycare," I pointed out. "You can tell because there's an old man in front of it." My eyes averted to the building next to it. "Oh my gosh it's small children!" Multiple adorable little children were playing on a playground, being cute and stuff. I grabbed Earl's wrist and dragged him up the stairs to the old man by the door. "Sir, did you know there were adorable children next door? That's not typical!" He laughed.

"Yes, that is the daycare for toddlers that mine and my wife's daughter runs. This is the Pokemon Daycare, where we raise Pokemon for you." He scratched his head, embarassed. "Unfortunately, we are a bit crowded now. But we'll take one Pokemon, if you need."

"No thank you, sir. Me, Forget, and Tea are fine." I had already decided, though, that I would at least like to train Forget by myself.

"I would say the same thing," Earl remarked, "but after I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the level Rufflet evolved, that doesn't seem like such a bad idea."

"Well, he's always welcome," the man laughed. Suddenly, crying came up behind us like a siren, soft and gradually louder. A little girl, not much older than the toddlers next door, latched onto my trenchcoat and soon had the bottom soaked in her tears.

"Whoa, why is this kid making my coat a sponge?" I demanded. It's true, everyone, it's true. I have a soft spot for little kids. But this was just some sniffling little girl lessening the value of my 14th birthday present.

"It's my Woobat!" Awesome. A Woobat. I'd never seen one before, but by the similar name to Zubat, I knew they must be annoying.

"...And?"

"A couple of knights took it!" Awesome.

"Come on, Luckwin. I think there will be another chance for me to see you battle." As me and my... uh... creative friend headed in the direction the girl pointed, the direction of a cave in the distance, I heard her whisper to the daycare man: "Is that boy really named Luckwin?"

Earl and I were soon consumed in the darkness of Wellspring Cave, where we immediatley heard a couple of not-so-sneaky grunts.

"Which one is that brat's?" one said.

"There are just so many!" cried the other. Awesome. A Zubat, I mean Woobat, mating ground.

"Well you better find it quick," I said in my strongest voice, "because we're kicking your butt anyway, and you won't want to have to find a Woobat after we're done." One of the guards found the correct Woobat a bit to quickly and held it out to me, but the other took it and held it to his chest.

"Never!" he exclaimed. "Team Plasma will release this Pokemon from the tyranny of his trainer!"

"I didn't know a five-year-old girl could be _so _tyrannical," remarked Earl.

"Age doesn't matter when it comes to the sadness of Pokemon!" he ranted. "But if you're so confident, battle me!"

"My pleasure," I assured. "Earl, you take that one. And don't worry about me missing it. I'm a good multi-tasker." Earl obeyed, and sent out his new Pansage. I followed suit and sent out Tea.

"Fool!" he yelled. And sent out a Patrat. Let's just say, I was hoping for a challenge, but it was incredibly easy to watch Earl beat his _own_ Patrat just as easily as I was beating mine. I was easily able to pluck the antsy Woobat from the grunt's grasp, since he was using all his energy keeping his jaw down so low.

"Here you go, kid." The little girl, I admit, was a lot cuter when she wasn't drenching my favorite piece of clothing with salty water from her eyes. She and her annoying little Woobat (either that grunt was a lucky guesser, or she couldn't tell one from another) flitted away into the sunset.

"And you're right, Earl," I commented as we both, as well as the Daycare Man, watched. "You're pretty good at battling." He looked at me as if I just told him he could beat the Chamipon with his spastic Tepig, his vain Pansage, and his curious Rufflet.

"Really?" he asked. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome. Just don't get a big head."

"You know what? I bet I could work the name Luckwin. Wait, no. I'll make the name Luckwin work for _me_! Yeah!" Awesome.

"Earl! Briar!" Good ol' Luckwin and I spun around and saw Dina running towards us. And following her was... Cilan? "Guys, look! Cilan wants to come!"

"Come where?" I asked. "Nacrene? The Pokemon League? My birthday party? What?"

"To the Pokemon League, silly!" he answered, gesturing his hands dramatically. "To be completely honest, your friend Dina was the first worthy opponent in a while."

"And you still almost beat me," she admitted sheepishly.

"Still, it was a delicious battle!" Oh boy. "Anyway, Cress and Chili said it was fine, so I decided to come along. Striaton can become so suffocating." A pause.

"Are you sure they were weren't just joking?" He paused to think a moment, as did we all.

"Oh well!" he replied happily. "Even if they were, it's to late now!"

"Not really," I countered. "Striaton's right over there." Indeed, the peak of the gym was visible over the trees.

"Well, I've never gotten to do anything for myself, and I'm the best chef and always work harder than them, so I'm going." Though it seemed out of character, it shut us all up, and I smiled at him and welcomed him into the "Let's Go On a Journey Through Unova and Become Awesome" club.

"Welcome to the journey, man. There are a few rules..."

"Really?"

"No," I assured as the four of us headed in the direction of Nacrene. "But I'm going to make them up as I go along to make conversation." I held one finger up. "Rule number 1, you are not allowed to let that little Lillipup of yours take a tinkle in public. I mean, be decent. Don't want to sully our image so soon, now, would we?"

**Author's Note: This note will be short because I think my sister will murder me if I don't post this. So... uh... please be awesome like SkullChicka and thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 6

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has now reviewed! And thank you to Darkkami. Briar says thank you for thinking her rules were funny... then she made a snide comment about Unova. Oh well.**

**And I just watched Fabula beat the game, and I thought it was just as sad and awesome and stuff as before! Seriously, she started crying... and she doesn't cry for this kind of stuff. To everyone that has this game (which everyone should) that hasn't beaten it... beat it. If you want to know: I cried. And by the time it (the game) was over, I was trembling. It was awesome. Seriously.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 6

The Best Fighting Pokemon There Is

About a million rules later, most mocking Cilan's hair or Unovians in general, we arrived in Nacrene. At one point, I thought about bringing up Gracie, but Cilan just seemed so happy a person. And I was on a roll. So I decided it was a conversation for another day.

I've heard that Nacrene is the city of the arts, and I can see why. Everything seemed to echo art: the abandoned warehouses made homes, the music wafting through the air. Dina seemed to like it the best, because she began to spin and dance. Cilan, who had been here before, explained some of the historical value and other stuff about the city. Finally, he brought us to the mueseum.

"And this," he said proudly, as if it was his own, "is the Nacrene Mueseum. Believe it or not, it is the only mueseum in Unova."

"That... is kind of weird," agreed Earl.

"Indeed. Also, the next gym leader is in there. She's the curator, I think."

"What type is she?" Dina asked.

"Normal, and quite tough to beat, too. I was able to beat her when I caught a Timburr in Pinwheel Forest, which is right over there." Cilan pointed to the west, towards the next route.

"What's a Timburr?" I wondered aloud.

"Let me show you!" All of us spun around, and we came face-to-face with none other than N. I looked at him, then I looked at Cilan, and then I smiled mischeviously.

"Are you two brothers?" I asked, looking at their hair.

"I've never even seen this guy before, despite his great hair!" Cilan assured. "Besides, then what me and my brothers be? What's it called, quads?"

"I don't think so," I answered. "I'm pretty sure N over here is older. How old are you, Cilan?"

"Fifteen."

"Hey, N, how old are you?"

"What? I'm sixteen. Wait, I came here to battle you, not be questioned on my age and family!"

"Wait, how old are you, Briar?" Cilan asked.

"I'm fourteen! All of us are fourteen! But now that we have all our ages cleared up- thank you, by the way, I'd been wondering how old you were- I _will_ battle you, N, who looks a bit older than he is."

"Finally!" He reached into his belt and pulled out a Poke Ball. "Go, Pid-"

"Oh, wait, that reminds me!" Dina exclaimed. N obediently put down his Poke Ball. "I'm so sorry, N, but I just wanted to show Briar something." She reached into her own belt, which I now realized had four Pokemon. "Go, Munna!" The familiar pink flying thing appeared and began to fly in circles around my friend. I may be a good evaluator (I still had yet to know what it meant), but I was certainly jealous of Dina's ability to make Pokemon like her on sight.

"You caught it?" I asked, though the answer was floating in front of me. Literally.

"Yep!" she answered happily. "Right before I challenged Cilan. She helped me beat his Lillipup."

"Um... that's nice."

"Oh... oh, you're battle! Sorry, I just wanted to show you."

"It's fine," N replied, which I admit, kind of surprised me. Before I could wonder, however, the boy with the long green hair sent out his first Pokemon. "Go, Pidove!" Everyone, including the Munna, stared at the bird-like Pokemon in front of us.

"Probably level thirteen. Flying type obviously. Hey, does anyone else think this thing looks like a Pidgey?" They looked at me like I'd turned into a Pokemon. Whoops. Made the mistake of speaking Kantonian in front of them. "Never mind. Go, Tea!" My Panpour sprang out of her Poke Ball like a little blue acrobat.

"Wow!" Cilan exclaimed. "You're Panpour is even more energetic than Cress'!"

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Tea, use Scratch!" She shot like a rocket towards N's Pidove, a set of fearsome claws extended.

"Pidove, use Gust!" countered N. That Pidgey, I mean Pidove, flapped it's little wings with all its might and was able to blow Tea away.

"Awesome," I muttered sarcastically. As you can see, it's kinda my catch phrase. "Tea, use Water Gun!" Tea spurt all the water she could muster at the little guy, and did it with enough force to propel through the artificial wind and hit her opponent dead on. Pidove fell like a stone to the ground, but managed to get up.

"Use Quick Attack, Pidove!" ordered N. Up from the ground in seconds, Pidove was a blur as it darted towards Tea.

"Stay still!" I ordered, I imagine much to Tea's dismay. I waited only a moment, however, then yelled: "Water Gun, again!" The Pidove was close now, and it couldn't change course without crashing. Tea, realizing this, shot even more water than before. Blinded, the Pidove teetered in the air for a second before crashing an arm's length from his target. I guess the momentum was enough to cause him to faint, because, well, he did.

"You fought well, my friend," complimented N, returning the fallen Pokemon to it's Poke Ball. "Go, Tympole!" A weird blue thing with a tail emerged from N's Poke Ball. I guessed that it was a water type from it's color and knew this would be right up Forget's alley.

"You did awesome, Tea," I complimented as well, returning her. "But this is a good battle for Forget." Forget-Me-Not, whom I preferred to have at my side than in her Poke Ball, waltzed up to our little temporary battle ring. "Let's make this one quick. Forget, use Vine Whip!" The obedient little Snivy that she was, she viciously extended her vines and shot them at the Tympole.

"Try to roll out of the way!" ordered him, but he too knew that this battle was over before it even started. When Tympole zigged, Forget zagged. The vines lashed first his tail, then his body. And not to be boring compared to the last oh-so-exciting battle, but I'll just finish by saying that one Vine Whip later Tympole was out of it.

"Don't worry, my friend, you battled well," N assured it. He snatched up his last Poke Ball and released his final Pokemon. "Go, Timburr!" I wondered where his Purrloin was for about a milisecond, then recalled that this was the Pokemon recommended by Cilan to beat the next gym leader.

"Never in my life will I catch that thing," I confirmed. Timburr is a small beige thing with veins sticking out everywhere, not to mention a log. He was just throwing it around. What Pokemon was this? The veiny, show-off Pokemon? "Forget, let's teach him a lesson on being humble. Use Tackle!" By the time Forget-Me-Not was racing towards Timburr, I remembered that it was a Fighting type and that Tackle wouldn't do much damage. Indeed, N didn't even try to have Timburr avoid the attack. Forget hit it dead on, but it still didn't do much.

"Timburr, use Low Kick!" N ordered. The Timburr dove down, dropping its wood for a moment, and swept it's feet where Forget's were. Without being commanded, she jumped up, narrowly missing the attack. It occured to me that it was unfortunate the grunts weren't as smart as Forget-Me-Not when they encountered Jazelle. I thought about Jazelle for a moment and where she was now, then remembered that my Snivy narrowly missing getting blown off her feet, no thanks to me.

"Forget, use Vine Whip!" So what if it was the only move she was using? It was effective. The vines smacked Timburr away like a fly as he tried to kick her again, and he went soaring. However, he must've been tougher than the others, because he got right back up.

"Use Pound, my friend!" commanded N. Timburr basically did a belly-flop and Forget was the pool. She got knocked down, but was able to snake away. You know... 'cause she's a snake. Oh, whatever. "Now use Low Kick!" It was the same attack, but this time it seemed a lot more like a real kick. Awesome.

"Use Vine Whip to catch his foot!" I ordered. Forget's vines extended again, wrapping around the Timburr's ankle. This didn't stop him however. The foot was rapidly moving towards Forget's face. I remembered the last battle, where Forgert-Me-Not had thrown the disappeared-under-mysterious-circumctances Purrloin into a building. "Throw him, like last time!" Forget had no problem following this order. She swung her vines in the direction of one of the warehouses, and very soon Timburr's face was in one of it's walls. Let's just say, it ended like last time.

"You fought well, my friend," N assured one last time.

"I'm still not catching it," I said. N stood up (Unovian boys were a lot taller than Unovian girls), his pride not shaken.

"You are indeed a good trainer," he told me, "but I have a goal that even you beating me cannot shake."

"What is it?" asked Dina and Cilan at the same time. It occured to me that they were a lot alike.

"I want to be a hero, like the ones in the legends!" he explained. "Those brothers were people that could change the world, and that's what I want to do. Change the world!"

"But you must recall that, in the legends, the brothers fought and fought to the point where Zekrom and Reshiram destroyed Unova," Cilan pointed out.

"I am so lost," I said.

"But what if there was only one hero?" N continued, everyone ignoring my confusion. "And what if what that hero believed was truly the best for Unova? For Pokemon? Then, there would be no fighting. Zekrom and Reshiram felt the need to destroy Unova because of all the fighting and arguing, but what if the need was gone? The two could work together, possibly even become one again."

"If you say so," Earl, who also apparently knew of this legend, said sarcastically.

"What the crap are you people talking about?" I exclaimed, irritated that no one ever told me anything.

"I care not for what you say," N admitted. "I will be the hero, and you can't stop me!"

"Um.. okay, I'm confused, but I'm pretty sure that all of this is a really bad idea, so I'll probably either try to stay out of it completely or somehow get thrown into the heart of it, so... you know what? I just want a fighting Pokemon. And not the veiny one."

"Your snide remarks do not bring me down," N said. "Just watch me! I'll become the hero and change Unova forever!" He started to turn, then waved sheepishly (it would be a while before I figured out who it was to), then marched off in the direction of Pinwheel Forest.

"It's a shame, because he seems pretty cool," I lamented, "but I'm pretty sure he's crazy."

"But did you hear what he said?" Dina questioned. "He wanted to change the world, to help Unova. That may be a little crazy, but at least it's for the good of society."

"Oh, Dina, you're to nice. But I suppose you're right." I turned to Cilan. "Hey, are there any other Fighting-types around here that I can use?"

"I don't believe so," he answered. "There are a few more, but you'd have to travel a while before reaching them."

"Did you say Fighting type?" someone screamed. All four of us jumped and spun around to see who this living banshee was. As expected, the shriek came from the mouth of an old man, who looked a little crazy.

"Um... yeah?" He reached inside his gigantic, tatttered jacket and produced an egg, white with green spots. I recalled seeing a few like it at the Daycare.

"In this here egg," the man whispered, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear, "is the best Fighting Pokemon there is."

"The best Fighting Pokemon there is?" Earl asked, eyeing the egg enviously.

"Yessir," the man shrieked, returning to his former volume. "The Daycare Man gave it to me. But you can have it." I stared at the egg suspiciously. It seemed almost too good to be true.

"And it's not the veiny one?" I asked.

"Nope." I snatched the egg, crumbling under the temptation.

"Thank you, sir. I'll take good care of it."

"You better," he wailed. Then, he teetered away, grumbling all the way.

"Lucky," muttered Earl spitefully.

"Well, I guess you don't have to get a Timburr after all," Cilan said happily. "Congratulations."

"But you'll have to walk around for a while to hatch the egg," Dina pointed out.

"Then I'd better start walking." Earl went to Pinwheel Forest to train, and Cilan went to the cafe, but Dina and I walked all around the city. We met just about every resident of Nacrene City, all lovely people that were great artists. We decided to go check on Cilan at the cafe, but he was giving the head chef a cooking lesson (and not getting beaten up by the large man in the process, which was good), so we left. Earl didn't seem to welcome us intruding on his training ("I'm in a zone, don't bother me!"), so we left there too. Finally, we found ourselves back at the entrance to the gym.

"Well that was a nice walk," Dina remarked cheerfully.

I mentally agreed, tracing the dots on the egg. I couldn't tell if it was three more steps from hatching or three hundred. Combined with the other events of the day, I finally let it all out.

"Why the crap won't you freaking hatch?" I screamed at the egg. Dina jumped.

"Briar!" she scolded. "You have to be patient. If eggs hatched that easily, we'd all be carrying more of them with us than Pokemon." I sighed, knowing she was right.

"I just wanna make sure it's not the veiny one," I whined.

"We can walk a bit more," Dina suggested. "Maybe we can head over to the Daycare again, and the Daycare Man can tell us how many more steps it needs."

"But I'm _tired_," I complained. "This is just another reason to hate my life."

"For crying out loud, Briar." Dina took the egg from my arms and pointed towards the cafe. "Go get Cilan to make you some food. Arceus knows you need it." I grumbled as I trudged to the cafe. Cilan's mood was a great contrast to mine, because appearently the head chef said he was the best chef ever or something. But, as anyone who ever had a bad day would know, the last thing that a grumpy person wants is someone telling them how great their life is.

"Can you just get me some food?" I asked angrily while Cilan introduced me to _every chef in the restaurant_.

"Geez, sure," he said, sounding hurt. "Sorry, she doesn't usually act like this." He brought me some food, because Cilan's just a nice person, and I must admit that it was delicious. In fact, I got annoyed at Dina for interrupting me when she burst into the cafe.

"What, I'm eating!" I yelled. I'll admit, I was not at my best that day.

"Well, if you're going to be like that, I guess I won't show you you're newest Pokemon," Dina said defiantly, poking a little head back into her vest. I forgot the food.

"No no no!" I yelled. "Let me see it." The Pokemon must speak English, because it rockets out of her vest at the exact moment. It's definitely not a Timburr. This Pokemon is yellow, with red arms and legs and fearsome eyes, which it stared at me with.

"It's a Mienfoo!" Cilan exclaimed. "A girl, with the Regenerator ability. This is a good Pokemon, Briar!" So Cilan could evaluate, too. Perhaps I'd ask him what it meant later. The Mienfoo trotted up to me and looked at me with her beady black eyes.

"Ming," I whispered. "I'll call you Ming." I guess she liked the name, because she took a step closer.

"Mienfoo is definitely one of the better Fighting Pokemon in Unova," Cilan remarked. "The old man wasn't joking."

"Is it the best Fighting Pokemon there is?" I asked.

"I'd imagine not. But I bet you could make it so." Ming took another step closer. I knelt down and held out my hand, which Ming nuzzled up against.

"I thought that if a Pokemon hatched from an egg it liked the person it saw first the best," I said to Dina.

"It does," she answered, "so I put her in my vest so she wouldn't see anyone until she saw you." Ming inched closer, burying her head in my coat.

"You're awesome, Dina, you know that."

"Yep." I scooped my new Mienfoo, Cilan's words echoing in my mind._ I'd imagine not. But I bet you could make it so._

"Make it so," I whispered into Ming's ear.

**Author's Note: So this chapter isn't my best, but I hope you still liked it. I was sick today and just laying around in a pool of self-pity, so I decided to write the next chapter.**

**As usual, thanks for reading and please review.**


	8. Chapter 7

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Guess what? My awesome sister got me Pokemon Black for Christmas (and a log, but you know, that's just not as cool)! I started playing as Dina, since I played as Briar the first time, but in the end I got a Timburr (and yes, this was right after I wrote the last chapter calling it the veiny, show-off Pokemon). I made the mistake of catching one to help beat Lenora, and I grew more attached to it than my Herdier. Oh well! I'm at Nimbasa right now, about to fight Elesa.**

**Also, since Fabula is also an awesome artist, she's drawing a cover for this! Yay! It should be done soon... like when I finally finish the plot in my head :/**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 7

Jazelle Finally Decides to Join the Party

Because Ming was only level 1, and according to Cilan Lenora's strongest Pokemon was level 20, it took a whole week of training to get my team's new addition up to par. Here it is:

Day 1: Cilan makes all of us, Ming especially, some more celebratory food. As the day goes on, more and more people get word that a Mienfoo, which is apparently really rare in the South, was in town. By the time the sun set, little Ming was a celebrity. I couldn't find the old man who gave her to me, though.

Day 2: Actual training started. It required a lot of willing trainers (most whom just wanted to see a Mienfoo), as well as a lot of switching out before the first hit was fired so the experience was shared. By the end of the day, she was level 6, strong enough to fight wild Pokemon on Route 3, so we called it a day.

Day 3: We, as in Ming and I, started training on Route 3. She fared pretty well, since the only Pokemon there were either Normal- or Dark-type, both of which Fighting-type hit pretty hard (heh heh... Get it? Fighting-types hit things?... Forget I said anything.)

Cilan, Dina, and Earl all decided to join me after a while. Earl refused to say the newest name his brilliant mind thought up, so Dina and Cilan did it for him: Sequopah. I took from the look on his face that he realized how much this name absolutely sucked, so I spared him my worst insults. Earl also kind of redeemed himself from this miserable disgrace to the Baldridge name by showing his newest Pokemon, a Tympole, like N's. He explained that it became immune to Electric-type moves when it evolved and became Ground- and Water-type. Personally, all I could think of was that it looked a lot like the Poliwag back home. But not as cute.

Day 4: Cilan, Dina, Earl (no brilliant new names today), and I were all just kind of sitting around, watching our Pokemon (FYI, Cilan also has a Dwebble, another Unovian Pokemon that I actually like, and the Timburr, of course) chow down on some berries they found when we hear:

"Whoa! I haven't seen a Mienfoo eat like that since they found a hole in the wall of the Pokemon Fan Club's kitchen!"

"Jazelle!" Dina and I answered excitedly.

"Gracie?" Earl and Cilan wondered hopefully at the same time, but luckily, our exclamation was louder.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner," Jazelle apologized. "Fennel kept on saying that there was one more element of our research that she wanted to do. Turns out, that was how long she could keep a wannabe trainer from joining her friends!" She sighed, laughing right after it. "I swear, she's more protective than Mom ever was. Dad, on the other hand..."

"It's totally okay!" Dina assured happily, giving our friend a big bear hug. "To tell you the truth, I've been wondering how you've been since we left Striaton!"

"And let me guess," I added, "the sound of going on a journey with a sadistic Kantonian and a way-too-nice Unovian was just so tempting that you coudn't bear the thought of being left out." Jazelle laughed again, louder and happier this time.

"How'd you know?"

"Because you're not the only one," I answered. "Cilan here also found the offer irresistable."

"Hi," he greeted, but I think he and Earl were both still wondering why we kept calling Gracie, who had gotten darker and was shorter and a higher voice, Jazelle.

"Wait, _that's _why Cilan left?" Jazelle asked desperately. "Dude, everyone's been wondering why the food has gotten so much worse! I'm definitely staying now!" She thrust her hand in his direction. "I'm Jazelle, Fennel's former assistant, now turned adventurer."

"You actually _worked _with Fennel?" Cilan asked, amazed by a whole new prospect of this girl. "The sounds coming from her lab gave me and my brothers- well, me and Chili- nightmares! How did you sleep without worrying that one of her robots would come alive and kill you in your sleep? How did you eat without wondering if your food would spontaneously combust?"

"As to the robots," she answered, "I kept a machete by my bed." She winked at me and said: "It's multi-purpose!" Turning back to Cilan, she continued: "And with the food, well, I either ate at the cafe or took a big bite and hoped for the best."

"I had no idea that Fennel's apartment was so dangerous," I commented, Dina and I glancing at each other. "I didn't even know she had robots."

"She keeps them in the closet when guests come over," Jazelle explained. "The had a tendency to scare people off."

"I _knew _I was being watched!" Dina muttered beside me. She had a fear of robots after an incident that involved Earl being high on candy, me being bipolar, Graciela whining about the lack of sweets after Earl ate them all, Oshawott's shell popping off for the first time and all of us freaking out, a leather chair, a rock, and the refrigerator door opening all by itself. It's a long story.

"And judging by the fact that you're the male version of Dina," Jazelle greeted, shaking Earl's hand, "I'd take a fair guess that you're her brother."

"Twin, actually," he corrected, but looking past her at me and Dina, probably wearing the same expression I had when I first shook Jazelle's hand. We both nodded. "You can call me Earl."

"Or Estroy," murmurred Dina.

"Or Luckwin," whispered I.

"Or Sequopah," muttered Cilan.

"Um... I'll just stick with Earl," decided Jazelle. We ended up spending the rest of the day talking to her, which was okay with the Pokemon. They had found another berry deposit, and were having a feast amongst themselves.

Day 5: As we trained Ming, we learned a lot about Mienfoo from Jazelle, who used to live "as far up north as you can get." They are, indeed, some of the best fighters you can find in Unova, especially when they evolve into Mienshao. Then I heard the bad news: Ming wouldn't evolve until level 50.

"Join the club," Earl spat when he saw the expression on my face. "Rufflet won't evolve into level 54."

"Just another reason to hate my life," I muttered spitefully. I ended up training Ming a few levels higher than planned.

Day 6: Earl, who had been training a bit as well, announced that he was going to challenge the great Lenora. He came back about an hour later and asked:

"You know if that crazy old guy has any more of those eggs?"

Day 7: After Jazelle told Earl that his Tepig would become part Fighting-type when it evolved into Pignite, Earl pig-nited himself (what is it with me and horrible puns this chapter?) and trained as hard as Ming and I did. By the end of the day, he was the only one of us to have an evolved Pokemon and I had a Mienfoo fit for the challenge of the Nacrene Gym.

And, finally, came the day that I entered the mueseum. Earl, who had secretly gone out and beaten her last night ("I would've been there to support you!" Dina complained. "Why don't you tell me these things?") while Cilan did a cooking demonstration for everyone (yes, even after a week, anything that had to do with that boy's cooking still interested everyone as much as Ming did). He came to watch the battle, as did Dina, Cilan, and Jazelle. We were greeted by the mueseum director, a tall man with black hair and a surprisingly welcoming smile.

"Welcome to the Nacrene Mueseum! I'm the director, Hawes." Suddenly, there was a flash of recognition as he laid eyes on Earl. "Wait, you're the boy that beat Lenora yesterday, are you not?"

"Yes, sir," Earl replied with tact he never showed his mother. "I admit, your wife was quite a challenge."

"Wait- wife?" I asked, confused.

"Seventeen years next week, eh, Hawes?" a clerk at one of the front desks called.

"Yes," Hawes confirmed. "Seventeen years next Thursday."

"Lucky man," commented another. "I've worked with Lenora for ten years, and it's been a pleasure. She's a great woman."

"Speaking of Lenora," I put in, happy for the couple but impatient for a battle, "where is she?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, you must be here to challenge her!" Hawes apologized. "The gym is in the back of the mueseum. Come, I'll show you the way." We all followed the director through a door that lead straight into the first exihibit. "Ah, the pride of the Nacrene Mueseum. This is the skeleton of a dragon Pokemon, and it is believed that it crashed while traveling the world."

"It's a Dragonite!" I exclaimed excitedly. "They're legendary- well, not literally, but you know what I mean- in Kanto!"

"That's correct," Hawes agreed, impressed. "Are you perhaps _from _Kanto, my dear?"

"Um... yeah."

"I could tell. Come now, the gym is this way." I debated what he meant by "I could tell" while he gave us all an abridged tour. There were a few interesting things, like a giant Pokemon forever trapped in a rock and a glittering meteorite from space. Then there was this dark rock, which had a cool shape and had less luster than obsidian, which even Hawes said that it was just old and pretty to look at. Finally, though, we reached the end of the tour. The gym.

"My wife is not an easy opponent," Hawes warned. "You probably won't beat her on your first try, but if you don't, just train a bit more and I'm sure you'll beat her."

"Thank you, sir," I said before walking in. I also wanted to thank him for the biggest, best piece of Kanto yet, but I kept my ungrateful little mouth shut and asked Earl how to get out of this library and to the gym.

"Just a sec," he said, then moved to the middle bookshelf, where a girl was reading a book on a ladder. "Hey, Lisa, can you open up the passage?"

"What? Oh, Earl, hey. I don't think I'm supposed to do that. I think I have to battle them first."

"Lisa..." Earl began, then looked at me, then back at the girl. He walked up to the ladder and whispered in her ear: "She's a lot better than me. No offense, but she'll have you beat in less than a minute."

"Whatever," Lisa muttered. "Just a sec." She moved the book and messed with a panel that was hidden behind them before jumping down from the ladder.

"Watch this," Earl whispered excitedly. Indeed, it was worth watching. The bookshelf began to move, showing a stairwell that led to Lenora's office and the gym. It stopped with a jerk, and a shower of books rained down right next to Cilan's head.

"Whoops," murmurred Lisa. "Forgot to set those back up yesterday." Turning back to us, she gave her instructions. "Alright, all you have to do is go down there and Lenora will be waiting to challenge you. Good luck."

"Thanks." All five of us descended the staircase. The bottom showed a large room, with a desk and bookshelf on the end opposite ours and a nice spacious stadium thing for our battle. The woman at the desk was, unlike most Unovian women, tall, with brown skin, dark blue hair, and a big dress. She was writing something down and seemed to take her time before acknowledging us.

"Are you the Kantonian with the Mienfoo?" she asked at last.

"Yes, actually," I answered. "How'd you know?"

"Three trainers that have not already beaten me entered Nacrene. One got a Mienfoo the day she arrived, and she had yet to challenge me." She turned to Earl. "Another was the only boy of the bunch, with a big mouth but Pokemon that at least met its expectations." Earl blushed, knocked down a notch by someone he'd beaten. What now. A bit to her surprise, she turned to Dina. "And the third was a pretty little thing that Pokemon adored on sight. " Lenora winked at Dina, who was completely taken aback by her compliment. She blushed, making the two twins look all the more similar, and turned away. "I'd been waiting for the trainer with the Mienfoo, however, and I deduced that it was you."

"That's... kind of impressive. But how'd you know I was Kantonian?"

"Because you look like you're from Kanto, dear." Huh. I'd always known that Gracie was the picture-perfect Unovian, but I'd never considered that I looked so obviously like a Kantonian. "And because my husband called and told me." Oh. Well never mind. "Anyway, based on all the Kantonians that I've met and talked to, I'd guess that you are now itching for a battle, aren't you?"

"I've been itching for a week," I said slyly, grasping Ming's Poke Ball. "I just had to train Ming."

"Then let us begin. Go Herdier!" A terrier-like Pokemon emerged from the Poke Ball and began barking excitedly.

"Go Ming!" Ming didn't just come out of her Poke Ball. She did a jump and like, three flips before landing on the ground in this awesome pose that I think she got from Jazelle one day when she was teaching Cilan how do dip down and knock someone off their feet like they do in movies (she ended up not only knocking him over but Earl as well, after he bet her that she couldn't do it). I taught that Mienfoo well.

"Herdier, Take Down!" ordered Lenora. The Herdier charged at her, but Ming was a heck of a lot faster than it. She dove out of the way and the Herdier slammed into the wall. Both Lenora and I could tell this would be a short battle.

"Ming, use Force Palm!" MIng began to run in the direction of Herdier, before dipping down and extending her palm and slamming the poor thing's head into the wall again. Before slamming into it herself, though, she put both feet in front of her, walked on the wall about three steps, then back-flipped onto the ground.

"I taught her that," Jazelle whispered proudly to Dina.

"Force Palm, one more time!" I ordered. And let's just say, one more head slam was all that poor Herdier could take.

"You did good, Herdier," Lenora assured as she returned him to his Poke Ball. "Now, though, you shall face my best. Go, Watchog!" Out from the Poke Ball leaped what had to be the evolved form of Patrat. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or to mutter about how this was just another reason to hate my life. I soon found that it would be the latter. "Watchog! Retaliate!" The problem was that Watchog was faster than Herdier, and Ming didn't seem to know what hit her when it actually did. She was knocked back into the same wall that she had slammed Herdier's head into, definitely not looking her best.

"Ming!" I yelled.

"Retaliate is an attack best used when another one of your Pokemon had just fainted," Lenora explained. "It's twice as effective that way." That was definitely showing for Ming. She was able to get up, but seemed to have a hard time standing.

"Use Drain Punch!" I commanded. "Arceus knows you need it." My Mienfoo seemed empowered by this empowering attack, and began to dash towards the Watchog.

"Dodge out of the way!" Lenora ordered. Obviously, she hadn't expected her to recover so fast.

"If he zigs," I said simply, "you zag." Ming did just that. Watchog dodged out of the way, but not quick enough that she couldn't do the same thing and land her attack dead-on. Watchog was knocked back, but not before a bug chunk of its energy had been drained.

"Retaliate!" Lenora ordered, a bit frantically.

"Force Palm!" I yelled at the same time. And to be completely honest, I think Watchog might've been able to knock Ming out, had he been faster. But he wasn't. Ming landed her attack, her super-effective attack, before he could. The Watchog fell to the ground, and my second gym battle was over. Lenora called back her fallen Pokemon, then gave me a round of applause.

"That was an excellent battle!" she complimented. "Just as great as your companion's." Earl flushed with pride, but I had a feeling that he was still a little hurt by Lenora's comment from earlier. "I have successfully been able to study two of my most worthy opponents in a long time. Thanks for breathing some excitement into this old woman's life."

"Lenora!" we all heard Hawes cry frantically as he dashed down the stairs. "Lenora! Come quickly!"

"What's wrong, dear?" Lenora questioned, running up to her husband.

"It's the skeleton of Dragonite," he explained. "A couple of knights and their weird-looking leader are trying to steal it."

**Author's Note: And since I did not write all this in one sitting, I am now at Clay.**

**Anyway, I'm pretty sure all of you know who the knights and their fat old guy leader (okay, a classy guy like Hawes wouldn't describe him like that) are, so what will happen next? You'll have to see!**

**And, as you can see from my above statement, I've never done a cliff-hanger before.**

**I'll badger Fabula until she makes the cover, you'll read and review, and everyone will be happy! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 8

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: A huge thank you to clarinet97! Your review was so incredibly nice that I can't even think of a witty reply! Seriously, though, it really meant a lot.**

**So I had meant to be all cliche and post this right at the start of the new year, but I didn't have Internet access, and my laptop was almost out of power... it was a mess. Either way, though, this is my fisrt post of the year so... yay, I guess.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 8

The Traveler's Head

Of all of us, I bet I looked the most awesome as we followed Hawes back up to the main floor to confront Team Plasma. Lenora was a bit too frantic, not to mention was she wearing a huge dress. Earl and Cilan were tripping over each other, and Dina had to keep dodging out of the way so she didn't get trampled by them. Jazelle looked pretty awesome, too, but trenchcoat beats knee-high Converse on the dramatic-walk scale. Not to mention, I was taller.

We walked in on the grunts terrorizing a few of the staff, telling them how awesome they were and stuff. And my coolness was confirmed by the silence that followed our entrance.

"It's that blondie that battles like nobody's business!" I found it safe to flatter myself and think that was me. "It's the gym leader from Striaton! I told you we went to the right place, their best chef was just gone!" Cilan, obviously. "Isn't that the short girl that the boss talks about sometimes?" Why would Ghetsis talk about Earl/Dina? "Oh no... it's that ten-year-old that totally creamed Johnson and Lisle!"

"Ten?" Jazelle yelled, stepping forward. All the grunts flinched, but Cilan grabbed her arm.

"Relax. The arrival of these meaningless trainers changes nothing." Indeed, the weird-looking leader showed himself. He was old, older than Ghetsis, and fat. And no, I was pretty sure it was _not_ the robe this time.

"Wanna bet?" Jazelle yelled again. This time, Cilan had to wrap his arms around her waist, and she still was able to drag him a bit.

"As much as I believe that you could tie him up with his own robe before they can yell 'PLASMA!'," he assured, "not now." Jazelle stopped struggling, but Cilan made the decision of his life when he didn't let go.

"I am Gorm, of the Seven Sages," Fatty proclaimed, "and we are here to take this Dragonite skull in the name of Team Plasma!"

"Well you're not getting it," stated Lenora, pushing to the front and putting he hands on her hips. Good ol' Lenora. Short, sweet and to the point. Gorm, however, simply laughed and shook his head.

"Just try and stop us!" he barked. "We shall steal it right from beneath your noses!"

"I'm sorry, Cilan!" Jazelle exclaimed. At the same time that one of the grunts pulled something from his pocket, she stomped Cilan's foot with a sickening _crunch_. He yelled, let her go, and grabbed the injured limb. "And it's not like I'll see, anyway," she continued, putting her glasses on the top of his head. Jazelle shot off like a rocket and towards the rail, which she kicked off of as she launched into the air, right as circular object crashed into the floor. The lower level seemed to be almost completely covered in smoke by the time she landed, and all we knew of the chaos below came from the sound.

We could hear scurrying, lots of scurrying, as the smart little minions tried to get out. We also heard their grunts of pain when our fun-sized friend didn't let that happen. After a few moments, we heard Gorm scream frantically: "GET THE SKULL! GET OUT!" Aw. Their leader actually seemed to have concern for his lesser's well being.

Then there was a different sound. The sound of something disconnecting from its body.

"We've got it!" all of us heard a grunt yell triumphantly. "I got i-" He didn't finish. If I were to take a guess, Jazelle threw something, possibly another grunt, at him. And, in all honesty, it's amazing that I can record the events that followed just by the noises.

When something is knocked out of someone's, someone high's, hand, then the only sound your listening for is when it's falling. All of us, me, Dina, Earl, Cilan, Lenora, all of us heard it. And after that, we heard the next thing- the skull being caught.

"Got it!" another grunt yelled. His footsteps were heavy, incredibly audible. The sound of his jaw getting punched was even louder.

"Oh oh- I got it!" Jazelle sang.

"No you don't!" another grunt declared. He fell with a _thud_.

"I got a hold on the skull! Grab her!"

"Get off me!" Jazelle screamed. There was a vareity of painful sounds that proceeded, but the main ting we heard was: "Oh, crap!" Her footsteps were light and almost soundless, and the sound of her plowing through grunts to get to the skull was much louder. And then... the door. Shutting. In a matter of seconds, the smoke cleared, just in time for us to see Jazelle punch one guy in the face and round-house kick another. So, despite the fact that about seven grunts lay groaning around our vertically-challenged friend, all I'd seen was what I saw in the Dreamyard. I restrained from saying "Just another reason to hate my life!" out loud.

"I'm sorry," Jazelle apologized, breathing hard. She leaned against a wall and sank to the floor. "They got away."

"Are you kidding?" yelled Earl excitedly. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah," muttered Cilan, rubbing his foot. "Awesome."

"You did your best, dear," Lenora assured, rushing to the door. "Hawes, stay here and get the police. We're going after the skull."

"And don't you _dare_," Dina ordered Jazelle as we passed, "try to follow us. You're tired and need to rest."

"Whatever, _Mom_," sneered Jazelle. I did notice, though, that she seemed full of regret as Cilan returned her glasses. I just hoped she did as she was told. Outside, Lenora looked frantically about, trying to figure out where Team Plasma had gone.

"Alright," she began, "I'm fairly certain that-"

"Hey! Lenora!" All of us spun around, coming face-to-face with a dude that must've walked straight out of the seventies (or is it the eighties?) Afro, striped pants, big belt buckle, this guy had it all.

"Burgh! Thank goodness you're here!" Lenora turned to all of us, then motioned to the hippee-esque guy. "This is Burgh. He's the gym leader from Castelia City. He's also an artist, and comes here sometimes when he needs inspiration."

"And I think I just got it," Burgh explained. "I just saw a group of knights, running as if from some kind of monster." If Jazelle had been here, she would've smiled proudly. "And, at their head, was an old dude with this robe that was a work of art in of itself. Nice embroidery, and must've taken a long time, considering how large the actual thing was-"

"Which way did they go?" Lenora asked, on the edge of panic.

"Towards Pinwheel Forest," Burgh answered. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Those _knights _just ran off with an exhibit, that's what's wrong!" She pushed past him, and all of us followed.

"Ran off with an exhibit? Well, crap! Wait for me!" And that was how three gym leaders and a couple ragtag trainers followed a group of costumed psychos into the dark, maze-like Pinwheel Forest, all without their 13-year-old karate master there to knock out any nuisances with a round-house kick. Trust me, it sounds even weirder in my head.

"I'll run up to the main exit!" declared Lenora. "Someone must go into the forest!" While she was running off and I was examining the forest, Burgh shuffled uncomfortably.

"Um... I'll go up to the exit with Lenora!" he said quickly, already fast-walking away before he even finished his sentence.

"Wait a second," I ordered. "You're the gym leader, why don't you go into the scary forest?" This seemed to be the exact question the Castelian _didn't_ want me to ask.

"Well... I..." He looked at Dina, Earl, and Cilan, then back at me.

"Yes, Mister Bad A-"

"Briar!" Dina interrupted. I sighed.

"Mister B.A. gym leader?"

"Well..." He leaned in, so that I was the only one who could hear him. "I'm... The dark... it's not my best friend."

"Wha- oh. Well, you could've just said so! Now go on, hurry, before Lenora gets lonely!" Burgh seemed all to happy to oblige, for he was gone in seconds.

"What was that about?" Earl prodded.

"A gym leader and his weaknesses. You have a lot of them. Now let's go." Me, Dina, Cilan, and a hurt (I'm sorry, I just can't help myself) Earl began our perilous journey through the treacherous Pinwheel Forest. It seemed as if every tree were alive, every shadow's sole purpose was to kill you. I was seriously glad that Burgh hadn't come, because one of us would probably have had to carry him.

"It's you!" A grunt jumped out of the bushes, scaring the crap out of all of us. "Gorm expected you to come. He sent me to stall you so he could get away with the skull!" The grunt reached for his belt, a half-crazed smile on his face. His fingers never even grazed the Poke Ball he'd been reaching for. We watched as he fell forward, the collapse of his frame revealing Jazelle's smaller one.

"Jazelle!" Dina scolded. "I told you to stay at the mueseum! You took down seven grunts in the smoke, you need to rest!"

"Perhaps," she agreed, "but do you know what you _don't _need?" We all waited for the answer. "To fight all the grunts whose aim had been to stall before I took them out for you."

"That is a good enough explanation for me," I said. "C'mon, let's find that poor Dragonite's stolen head!"

"I honestly never thought I'd hear those words in that order," Cilan admitted, happily. "You just hear something new everyday!"

"Let's go, Mr. Sunshine," my sadistic self insisted, "or you'll be hearing a lot of new things from Lenora." Fueled by my entirely true comment, all of us pressed on, through logs and scary shadows, though it was admittedly a lot less scary with Jazelle around. Occasionally, we'd run into an unconicious grunt that she had taken out before. But it was more fun when reinforcements showed up and we saw her in action. Jazelle's small form was good for not only speed but flexibilty, and she was easily able to confuse and KO anyone that got in her way. I began to get worried, though, that she would occasionally get a bit _too_ carried away. But I supose that may just be what happens when she gets excited.

About a dozen grunts and quite a few log-crossings later, we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally. To our right was the blessed light that I we were convinced Burgh and Lenora were guarding. There was just one thing standing in our way. Gorm and a couple of grunts, some of which were carefully balancing the skull amongst themselves.

"Hey Burgh! Lenora!" I yelled, "If you scoot about two feet forwards, you'll see something interesting." None of us took our eyes off each other as the two gym leaders did as I instructed, and I'm sad to say that I missed their faces when they saw the enemy.

"Give it up, Gorm," Lenora declared. "You're surrounded and outmatched. Return my fossil."

"Take the thing," Gorm replied scornfully. "It's no longer of use to us. This has nothing to do with the legendary Dragon Pokemon. It's completely unrelated." The grunts that were holding the fossil waddled over to the curator and set it down at her feet. Lenora dropped to her knees, inspecting for any damage.

"And for _all _of you," Gorm continued in the loud, dramatic voice that he must have learned from Ghetsis, "we shall leave you alone for now. But do not think that you can get into Team Plasma's way again without consequence. So farewell, for now." All the grunts formed some kind of human shield around their fat leader, and we all just kind of watched as they marched off.

"Why'd you do that?" Earl yelled at Burgh and Lenora.

"What do you mean, dear?" Lenora questioned.

"Why did you just let them go?" Earl continued. "They freaking stole your skull!"

"I have a feeling that one day, we will have to face Team Plasma head-on," Burgh explained, "but today is not that day. For now, the fact that we have the skull back is all that matters."

"Well... alright. Whatever."

"And as for you," Lenora chirped, satisfied with the condition of her skull, "I'd think all of you would want to go to Castelia to battle Burgh here."

"Definitely!" Earl exclaimed excitedly.

"That would be nice," I murmurred.

"As great as that would be," Dina said sadly, "I still need to beat you."

"I'll stick around with you, if you want," Jazelle offered.

"Well, I'm going home," Burgh stated. "Everyone who's beaten Lenora is welcome to come with me." The three of us, Cilan, Earl, and I, turned to Dina, as if for permission.

"I'll see you soon," she said, kind of sadly. Then, under her breath: "Hopefully."

"Well then, it's nice traveling with you, Burgh," I chirped. "Would you like to hear our rules?"

**Author's Note: My DS case now has an awesome Musharna on it. Thank you sis.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	10. Chapter 9

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: I love you people.**

**One day, when I got sick and was checked out of school, I told myself that I would revise all the chapters if I didn't go the next day. I didn't, and I spent, like, three hours revising. Let me repeat myself: _I love you people. _I don't know _how_ you understood what I was writing. There was so many grammatical errors and spelling errors and those times I used the _completely wrong word_... it was painful. So, yeah, I also changed some of the chapters to make them better in a writing sense, so if you're bored, you can read through it again.**

**And now I love you even more because it has been forever since I updated.**

**Anyway, you all are the awesome, the best Fanfiction readers ever, and I thank you for sharing your complete and total awesomeness with this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (but I wish I did.)**

Chapter 9

The Chapter In Which There Are Many Adventures

I am going to begin by saying that Castelia City is the most amazing place ever built.

I had told Dina and Earl that Nuvema was a town that was forever frozen in time. Therefore, its mortal opposite is Castelia. As opposed to my second hometown's population of about 7, the population of Unova's biggest city must be at least 45,000. People were bumping into me, yelling at me, assaulting me with weird items and smells. The only downside would be that I'd have to meet Dina at the entrance so she didn't have a nervous breakdown.

"This is where you _live_?" Earl asked in amazement.

"Yep," Burgh replied proudly. "All the people make it hard to commute sometimes, and expensive, but its a small price to pay for living in the greatest city in the world."

"It looks like someone threw up rude people," I remarked as someone yelled something in an accent I couldn't understand at me for standing there.

"This isn't even the worst of it," Burgh remarked. "You're standing around me, so people automatically respect you more. Their... language wouldn't be as nice any other way."

"So the only way to have people talk to you in a language that doesn't require you to cover up small children's ears is to stand within a 2-feet radius of the gym leader?" I asked, substituting my friend's mental nervous breakdown with a full-out heart attack.

"More like 2 inches. And that's a little exaggerated." Awesome.

"So what type are you?" Cilan asked as Burgh navigated us through the crowd.

"Bug. Like Burgh. But without the 'R'. And the 'H'..." For Cilan: Awesome.

"Great!" Earl muttered, the only one of us that wasn't sarcastic. "This city... it _inspires_ me! My new champion name should be-"

"No!" the three of us exclaimed. One of my rules was "Rule #24: If Earl is talking about naming himself... RUN."

"Alright, alright," Earl assured, not hurt because inwardly we knew we were protecting him. However, under his breath, I heard him mutter: "Josaft." At least, I _think _that's what he said. I really hope it's not, but I wasn't holding my breath.

We didn't talk much more until we reached the gym, which was much more artsy than the skyscrapers on the skyline on Skyarrow Bridge. And yes, I did just use the word "sky" three times in the same sentence.

"Unless you want to take me on right now," Burgh explained, "I'd train around the city. You'd be surprised at how many trainers there are that are just wandering around."

"Let's all go different directions," Cilan suggested. "The city can certainly fit all of us."

"Alright," I agreed. "Luckwin, you think you can survive in the big city without me?"

"My name is not Luckwin, and I'll be fine," Earl grumbled. Then, he perked up, saying, "I call exploring the buildings!"

"You're fourteen and trying to become the champion," I countered. "That's okay, though. I was just gonna wander around."

"I'll do the same," Cilan finished. So Burgh said goodbye and that he couldn't wait to battle us, then we went our seperate ways. Thus began our adventures.

The Confusing Adventure of Earl Baldridge (written by Briar Casey)

The adventure of my large-minded friend began as he traveled through Castelia's infinite network of skyscrapers. Lobby after lobby, cubicle after cubicle, he discovered something: most of those dang (aren't you proud of me, Dina?) places were nothing but workplaces for clerks that liked to yell at overdressed tariners like him. He was just about ready to give up as he entered another identical lobby. However, when a janitor almost assaults you, your interest is certainly piqued.

"Or, sorry, dear boy," the janitor apologized, nervously adjusting his tie. Earl found it funny that a lowly janitor had such a formal British accent, but brushed it off.

"It's alright, man," he replied. "You leaving work for the day? It's a little early."

"Actually, no," replied the old man. "I... was... just about to go back upstairs." There was a moment of awkward silence, then Earl turned around to make sure he'd walked through the door and not the wall.

"But... you were walking out the door," he pointed out.

"Yes, well, I was going to get some fresh air before returning to work."

"Um... okay."

"Well, alright then. I suppose I'll see you around, then." The janitor trotted over to the elevator, pressed the "Up" button, and waited. When the door opened he entered, but before the door closed, he turned to Earl and smiled mischeviously. "And be careful upstairs. There are some powerful trainers there." However, before he could ask questions, the door shut and the man disappeared.

"I am so confused," he admitted to the desk clerk. He stood there for a moment, until the same clerk began to scream that he needed to either go upstairs and battle or leave. Earl chose the former. He pressed the "Up" button about fifty times and the "Close" button on the inside twnty times, the clerk glaring at him the entire time. Relief swept over my friend when his face disappeared behind the metal doors.

The next problem was the inevitable fact that Earl Baldridge did not know which floor he was to go to. The janitor had said it was on the upper floors, but when did they start and the lower floors end? Earl decided to just try every floor after 40. The first was empty. As was the second... and the third. He began to rethink his strategy when he came to the 44th floor, which appeared to be a working office. Earl stepped into the room, right into the path of a clerk. Bracing himself for more Castelian yelling, he found himself disappointed. Instead, the clerk dropped every paper he was holding and challenged Earl to a battle. This happened with every clerk, until nobody on the 44th floor had a Pokemon capable of battling. After the last clerk was beaten, Earl asked the question he'd been wondering the entire time.

"So... what other floors have trainers?"

"The 56th," replied the clerk sadly. Earl waited a moment.

"And?"

"And what? That's it. This floor and the 56th floor."

"But this building is huge!" Earl argued. "What about the other bajillion floors?"

"Renovation."

"That makes no sense- whatever. I'm headed to the 56th floor." Earl boarded the elevator and pressed "56", confused. When the bell rang, all the clerks on the floor seemed to have heard about the trainer that took out the 44th floor. He did the same with this one. When the final clerk stated that the president of the company was in the a nearby cubicle, Earl ran there enthusiastically. And, in the cubicle was... the janitor.

"'Ello, dear boy," he greeted, still in his janitor suit. "Surprised?"

"Yeah," Earl answered. "I thought you were a janitor."

"A disguise, boy, disguise," the president continued. "You learn to be good with them when you're one of the most powerful men in the city."

"_You're _one of the most powerful men in the city?" Earl asked, awestruck.

"Why do you think I have an accent?"

"So... are you going to give me someting for beating all your employees? Do I have to battle you?"

"No, no," answered the president. "You see, all my Pokemon are at the Daycare right now, and therefore I can't battle." He grinned the same mischevious grin. "But since you can't battle me, I can't give you a prize either."

"Dang it!" Earl muttered. "Well... should I go now, Mr. Powerful?"

"If that is what you wish, but please come back," the president pleaded. "And my name's not Mr. Powerful. It's..."

"What?" Earl asked eagerly.

"It's quite an odd name."

"Try me." The president sighed.

"Sethall. Sethall Hawk."

"Sethall, huh?"

The Shocking Adventure of Cilan Austin (written by Briar Casey)

When Briar decided to meander around the heart of the city, Cilan chose the roads between the skyscrapers and alleyways as the place he'd explore. It was interesting, because there were always buildings on either side of him, and there was some sort of new smell every step he took. But then there were the _people_. Cilan figured out why Briar chose the less crowded areas as he weaved through sweating, overdressed, screaming Castelians, and he was grateful when he came across one of the oddest things to be grateful that you could come across: a line. But the line seemed to be a haven from the chaos, as the crowd didn't yell at any of the people, but instead maneuvered around them. He jumped into it, then asked the person in front of him:

"So... what are we waiting for?" The man looked as if Cilan had started opera singing or something.

"You don't know?" he replied unhelpfully, not to mention disgustedly. "This is the Castelia Cone shop. And since you don't seem to know what those are, I'll tell you. There are the best pastry you'll ever taste and are sought out by people from all around. It may be the most wanted food in Unova."

I can imagine poor Cilan's face. Like someone told him that a tornado hit the cafe or that boys with green hair were not allowed to cook anymore.

"But... But I thougt that the food in Striaton Cafe was the most sought after food in Unova!"

"As _if_," the man spat. "Every dish in Striaton doesn't hold a candle to a single Castelia Cone." I wish I had been there. The moment that Cilan was no longer the nice, kind of girly guy that I knew and loved. When someone told him that his cooking wasn't the best... he became a monster. He stormed through every cranky, hungry Castelian in line without paying them any attention and marched up to the counter.

"I _demand _to see the chef that makes these so-called Castelia Cones!" my friend barked. The waitress at the counter was almost as legendary as the chef himself, as she had been with him from day one. There were even rumors that she was the real cook, not him.

"Uh... well..." She didn't need to answer. A surprisingly young man strode from the back of the small shop, waving his rolling pin like a magic wand.

"Who is it, Melissa?" he asked smugly. "Another admirer wanting to meet me?"

"Uh... I don't think so, Mr. LaVerge," Melissa the waitress replied. Cilan jumped over the counter, apologized to Melissa for almost knocking her over, then stormed up to LaVerge.

"I am Cilan, Striaton City Gym Leader and honorary chef, and I demand to see your workspace," he ordered. LaVerge, who didn't even seem to acknowledge Cilan despite the fact that he was all up in his face, looked past him and at Melissa.

"Who is this... _child_, Melissa?" he questioned, glancing at Cilan like he was a rat in his kitchen.

"Well, Mr. LaVerge, like he said, he's... Cilan. From Striaton."

"_Ohhhh_, I see," LaVerge realized dramatically. "You must be the cook at that... Striaton Cafe, are you not?"

"I am," Cilan answered proudly.

"I understand that the quality of the food there is going down dramatically," the chef replied.

"That's because I left!"

"Is that so? How could you leave your restaurant? Isn't it like your own child?" By now, people were gathering on the street to see what was happening at the Castelia Cone shop, and they all got to see Cilan go pale (but I didn't, which is unfair.)

"I felt I needed more. I'm going on an adventure with some trainers."

"So you travel with children, and that is why you're acting like one!" LaVerge exclaimed.

"Those 'children' are being more mature than you are being right now," Cilan countered. Multiple people in the crowd gasped and whispers arose.

"Is that so?" LaVerge said, trying to be calm but obviously angry. "And why is that?"

"Because I think you want to challenge me to a cooking contest but are to afraid I'll beat you," Cilan answered nonchalantly. The whispers grew louder, and LaVerge's eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Well, if it's a contest you want, boy, it's a contest you'll get!" he exclaimed. "Just promise not to cry to hard when you run back to Striaton."

"And you shouldn't cry to hard or you'll get your precious Castelia Cones wet!" Cilan countered.

"My cooking will not have to worry, but your hometown will. Either way, here are the rules: We both have half an hour to cook a dessert. Then, we'll pick someone from the crowd and they'll decide who's better. Melissa will be my assistant."

"That's not fair!" Cilan argued. "I won't have an assistant! If only Jazelle was here, she seems like the kind of person that is annoyingly good at everything they try..."

"I just won't help you this time, Mr. LaVerge," Melissa said, rather timidly.

"What? No! I won't allow it."

"What's wrong LaVerge?" Cilan prodded. "Afraid you won't do well without her?"

"Wha- No! Of course not!" LaVerge spat quickly. However, everyone could tell he was afraid to work without his loyal assistant.

"Well alright then. Shall we begin?"

"Unless you want to run home now, boy."

"Never." And, with a point to the pantry and appliances and a forceful "GO!", the most heated cooking contest Castelia had ever seen began. Cilan, who decided to do a chocolate cake with Chesto Berry fudge that he had made at a young age, grabbed the ingredients he could see and entered the zone that he got into whenever he cooked. People left their jobs unfinished and their deliveries in their cars. Everyone had come to see the 15-year-old that challenged the (in)famous maker of the Castelia Cone. For Cilan, it seemed like time had frozen during the contest.

"Where are your Chesto Berries?" he asked once he got to the fudge. La Verge ignores him, so he repeated himself. "Where are the_ Chesto Berries?_"

"Are you so worried now, boy?"

"No. It just goes against the recipe."

"Why do you think I have them, anyway?" LaVerge stalled. "Usually they are only in the hands of observant trainers."

"I just thought you were a good enough chef to have a couple of Chesto Berries." A group of boys, who couldn't be a day older than Cilan, had arrived and _oooohhhhhh_ed.

"They're in that basket over there," LaVerge spat. "Take them." Cilan did, and finished right as Melissa told them time was up.

"You there!" LaVerge yelled, pointing to a man. "Judge this." The man ran up to the counter enthusiastically, and obviously hungry. Both Cilan and LaVerge pushed their dishes towards the man. Naturally, he went to the Cone.

"This is so good!" he exclaimed. "I've never tried one before!"

"A-And what about mine?" asked Cilan. The man tried a bite of the cake, and his face lit up again.

"This... this is great too! Amazing!"

"Really?" Cilan prodded smugly, glancing at a red LaVerge.

"But which one is better?" he demanded, leaning closer to the man. Cilan did the same, as well as most of Castelia. The man looked around him uncomfortably. Just about every eye in Castelia, and Unovians elsewhere because a news team had arrived at the 15-minute mark, was on him and he was understandably pressured.

"Uh... uh..." Everyone leaned in and the man appeared to start suffocating. "I choose the Castelia Cone!"

"See, boy?" LaVerge sceamed over the roar of the crowd. "You cannot beat me! You're a child!"

"I don't believe it..." Cilan whispered sadly.

"Yeah," Marissa agreed, slapping his hand. "You can't beat Mr. LaVerge."

"Be merciful to me, wo-" Cilan would've continued in the most pity-inducing voice imaginable, but he felt something in his hand. He opened the note as LaVerge took his bows. The first thing that caught his eye was a large drawing of a familiar Cone, and then the recipe itself. And finally, at the bottom, the signature of its creator.

"You didn't invent the Castelia Cone!" Cilan yelled. The crowd silenced in record time and LaVerge turned white.

"What... What... What are you talking about, boy?" the chef asked, his voice trembling. Cilan jumped the counter again, getting the recipe out of LaVerge's reach.

"You didn't invent the Castelia Cone!" my friend repeated. "Some guy named Pierre from an island I've never heard of made it. See?" He showed the recipe to the horde nearest, and they all leaned in hungrily.

"Chef Pierre! It says so," exclaimed a citizen. The crowd roared up again, and you could hear the news anchor yelling: "This just in! Chef LaVerge stole Castelia Cone recipe!"

Chef LaVerge is now the most disgraced chef in Unova history, often at the bar in the alleyway. Melissa, his devoted assistant that found the recipe and gave it away to a teenager, took over the shop and is now selling her own pastries, including the real Castelia Cone that her old boss denied. But what of the boy that revealed the disgrace? He left shortly after giving the recipe to the man in the crowd. After all, if he could expose this, he could beat the gym leader.

The Rhythmic Adventure of Briar Casey

And finally it comes to my own adventure in Castelia. It has no custodial espionage or cooking conspiracies, but it... really makes you want to dance. Heh heh. I need to stop hanging out with Earl.

After I was able to get away from the masses of people commuting through the in-between roads (turns out, I'd be a good Castelian because I can yell almost as loud as they can), I came to the eye of the hurricane. It was a nice little park area, with multiple benches and the more quiet population enjoying the crisp autumn air. Red, orange, and yellow leaves flitted about like fall fairies, as if proclaiming that this would always be the calm in the chaos (until rush hour). The most magnificent part, though, was the gigantic fountain in the dead center of the plaza. Crystal blue water gushed from the mouths of Pokemon, and the bottom's turquoise tiles and piles of coins nearly blinded you. And then, in front of it, was a dancer.

I decided to ditch the pretty stuff and check this guy out, because I hadn't seen any good dancing since Gracie's 14th birthday party, and she was the only one not making people's eyes bleed. This guy was so much better. He'd be in one crazy position one second, then another, then another, then he'd go slower so I could see the moves. After showing off a bit more, he stopped and walked over to me.

"You dance?" he asked.

"No," I answered. "You just reminded me of someone I miss. It was really good."

"Why thank you," the dancer chirped. "I came to Castelia to learn to be a better dancer. But I can't help but think something's... missing, you know?"

"Something's always missing," I replied, thinking of Gracie.

"Well that's optimistic," he snorted sarcastically. Then, _lightbulb_. "Wait, I know what it is I'm missing! Other dancers!"

"Other dancers?" I repeated.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "Let's see, I think there were two other dancers the last time I went to class. But I don't really know where they are."

"I could find them for you," I offered.

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Sure. Cilan is probably a secret agent by now and Earl probably has taken over one of the office buildings, so I need something to do."

"Well, that'd be great! I'm Dari, by the way." I shook Dari's extended hand, then said goodbye before beginning to comb the streets of Castelia for two guys getting down. It took about two seconds (and much longer to get out) for me to give up on the nearest street, the one on the right. There must've been something big going on, because no one was even moving. So I quickly proceeded down the middle road, which turned out to not be the best idea. It was an alley, not a road, and I was greeted by two biker dudes maniacally laughing with their backs to me. They were lucky Jazelle wasn't here, or her fists would be in their jaws because they were annoying her.

Then I saw a foot pop out from behind a dumpster.

It went back in really quickly, but I knew I'd seen it. My suspicions were confirmed when it swooshed out again, and again, as if in routine. I ran up to it and, sure enough, a guy that looked kind of like Dari was break-dancing.

"Hey man," I said stoically, "there's a cool guy named Dari that needs a team of dancers. He's by the fountain. Go talk to him."

"Dari's lookin' for a team?" this dancer asked. His voice was a lot higher.

"Yeah. He had achieved enlightenment or discovered the meaning of life or something. Now go talk to him."

"Well... I don't know..."

"DANCE TEAM?" Suddenly, those two bikers didn't have their backs to us anymore. "If you need someone to dance, check this out." The two proceeded to swing their arms around and jump and spin like they were drunk (I wouldn't put it past them.)

"They're stoned, right?" I asked Dari #2.

"Nope. They did that every time I danced until I started hiding."

"Oh my sweet Arceus. You guys suck." I regretted it immediately. They froze in weird poses, then glared at me.

"What did you say?" the second biker asked.

"Crap," I heard the dancer mutter.

"That you suck," I replied with the brutal honesty I've had since birth. "A Waboffett on tar could dance better than that."

"Do you wish for me to die?" the dancer exclaimed.

"I don't know what a Waboffett is," biker #1 said, "but I'm taking that as an insult."

"You're not as low on the evolutionary scale as I thought," I countered. "And since we're even higher, we're gonna run now." With that, the dancer and I took off down the alley, dodging some sort of bar and a couple shady characters. The smoky air of the roads in the front of the city was like a sweet forest breeze.

"Well, since I'm not going back there, I'll go see Dari. I'm Matt, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Matt. I'm Briar, and Dari's by the fountain."

"Thanks. Oh, and I think the last dancer- Lance was his name, I think- is on a pier."

"Cool. Thanks." As Matt dashed over to the next road, I began to investigate the piers for this Lance character. Luckily, it was the second pier I found. He ws dancing at the end, and just now I realized the sun was setting. Earl and Cilan might be wondering where I was.

"Hey!" I yelled. Lance stopped nearly fell over but was able to balance himself.

"Um... yes?"

"Dari and Matt have started a little dance group. Their by the fountain. Go talk to them." Lance crossed his arms, his tall body blocking out enough of the sun that I could stare at him directly.

"Why should I? I don't even know you."

"Because I am bringing together dancers who will be awesome as a group and will bring joy to others!" I answered.

"What if I'm having a bad day and don't feel like collaborating?"

"I can assure you, Mr. Cocky Dancer, that I've had worse."

"Well I came to the ocean to dance, and a fountain's no substitute for the blue." My first thought was _Have you seen the thing?_, but then I decided to pull the guilt card.

"My best friend loved to dance, and I haven't seen any good dancing since she died. I wanted others to feel inspired like I was." Lance froze, then turned to me.

"You have had worse days, haven't you?"

"I can name three."

"Alright, alright, no need to be depressing," Lance assured. "Let's go see Matt and Dari." So Lance and I walked to the fountain in uncomfortable and kind of sad silence, me thinking of Gracie and him probably thinking about what a horrible person he was. Matt and Dari didn't seem to think so, though, because the literally bent over backwards when they saw us.

"Yeah!" Dari exclaimed. "Now we have a whole team!"

"Come here, Lance," Matt motioned. "We're practicing that move we learned last week.

"My name's not Lance." Whoops.

"You're the best, Briar!" Dari thanked. "I know we'll be awesome together!"

"Me too," I agreed, blinking back tears. That's what Gracie said when she became my best friend. As the team danced, I began to wander around the park.

"Psst!" I looked back at Dari, Matt, and whoever the last guy was if he wasn't Lance, but they were free-styling. "Over here!" I turned around and saw it was an old guy on a bench. He was smiling a dentured smile and I walked over to him.

"I'm not getting you a dance team, too," I warned.

"I just wanted to say thank you," the old man said. "My son loved to dance before he moved to Johto. I hardly get to see him anymore. But looking at those young men dance remind me of him."

"Oh... well, you should thank them-"

"Maybe later," the old man assured, "but only a trainer like you could appreciate this." He held out a little ticket thing, which I took. It said "Daycare" on it. "The Daycare Man is a good friend of mine. He gives me those coupons all the time, but I have no use for them."

"Um... thanks." All the sudden, the man seemed bathed in a heavenly light that came from the setting sun beind him. The setting sun. "Oh, I'm sorry sir, but I have to go! My friends are waiting for me!" So I rushed away, wondering who would tell their story first.

At the gym...

"So you ready?" I asked as I dashed up to Cilan and Earl, who were standing at the door.

"Yep," Earl answered. "Let's go."

Later...

Earl was the only person who won. Cilan almost did at the last minute, but his Timburr was no match for Leavanny. And me? Friend, I got creamed.

"I'm gonna train in Pinwheel Forest," I muttered.

"I'll stay here," Cilan replied. "I think that if I adjust my strategy a bit..."

"Goodbye." I didn't even enjoy Skyarrow Bridge I was so upset. I entered Pinwheel in some sort of angry trance, and I absent-mindedly beat Pokemon for training. That is... until I saw a Pansear.

What a stroke of luck! I knew that all the monkeys could be found in the forest, but they were still rare and this one was the exact one I needed. Not to mention...

"It's a girl," I whispered. I remembered the breeder saying female elemental monkeys were rare, and here was a wild one. I was not about to let it get away. Luckily, Ming had the capability to lower her HP down enough so that I could catch her. I threw my first Poke Ball, and... a Pansage knocked it out of the way.

"Looks like Seary here has a little admirer, eh, Sage?" I taunted. The Pansage stared at me with those big green eyes. "Well, I need her, but you can tag along if you want to." I threw another Poke Ball, and this time Sage wasn't fast enough. The Pansear was mine. I quickly let her out, and the Pansage ran up to her. The two interacting was quite humourously, and I would've watched it for a while if Burgh hadn't come.

"Briar!" he shouted, startling us all. "Team Plasma's in Castelia! C'mon!"

"Okay, okay," I assured. But I didn't really want to take Seary and Sage (the names had stuck) to take on Team Plasma. But what was I to do? Then, as if some divine force wanted it to happen, a small ticket was blown from my pocket and it fluttered in front of my face. I caught it and read the front: "Daycare".

"I'll be there soon," I told Burgh, already running towards Striaton. I stopped after a few steps, turning to Sage. "You coming?"

**Author's Note: Question- do you or do you not like long chapters like this? I may be able to make them longer of you do.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	11. Chapter 10

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: If anyone except for Fabula got my Pierre from Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands reference... you are my favorite. SkullChicka: You win the Internet! Me: You win everything! SkullChicka: You win a cookie!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 10

A Piece of Kanto

As much as it annoyed Burgh, I took my sweet time putting Seary in the Pokemon Center. Chatted with the Daycare Man, counted out change for the old lady at the counter, then took it all back and gave her the coupon. Around the time I got to Pinwheel, I noticed that Sage wasn't following me anymore. I hadn't caught him, he was just following me, so I've got a Pansage who's staying at the Daycare for free and he's got some free time with his crush. It's a win-win situation.

I did hurry up, though, when Earl called me and started yelling at me to get over there and help him, Cilan, and Burgh fend off Team Plasma. I guess you could say it made me feeled needed.

Dotted in between the crowds of Castelia, I indeed saw the occasional grunt. I went out of my way to bump into them, then yell at them in a Castelian accent before they realized it was me. It was fun. However, when I came within sight of the gym, I was all business. Earl, Cilan, and Burgh were just standing there solemnly. And let me tell you, it's not a funny sight to see an overdressed Pokemon trainer, a waiter, and a 70's artist just stand there looking worried (okay, maybe a little). So cue awesome trenchcoat chick, swooping in to save the day.

"It looks like Castelia's been invaded by aliens from planet Camelot," I remarked as I approached.

"Don't remind me," Burgh groaned, combing his afro with his hands. "I can't believe all this happened in the, like, three hours you were gone!"

"Team Plasma certainly has efficient workers," Cilan added, but you could tell that the usual optimism was gone.

"Where are they all coming from?" Earl exclaimed dramatically.

"That's the next order of business," Burgh explained. "We have to root out their headquarters and run them out of my city."

"But look at all these buildings!" I pointed out. "They'll have stolen _our _Pokemon by the time we can look through all of them." Earl: lightbulb.

"Unless we talk to one of the most powerful men in the city!"

"Excuse me?"

"Follow me." He began to weave and navigate through the crowd, and we hastily followed. He led us to the score of skyscrapers near the gate, looking for the correct one. "Battle Company... Battle Company... ah hah!" With one final push, Earl cleared a path long enough for us rush to the frosted glass window of the Battle Company. He didn't talk to the secretary at the desk, rather headed straight for the elevator. Once all of us were crowded in, he pushed the final floor: 56.

Everyone seemed to know Earl as he led us through the maze of cubicles and water dispensers with paper cups. And no one had a problem as he barged into the office marked "President".

Note: He hadn't exactly had time to tell us about his adventure.

"Earl, my boy!" the president greeted in a British accent. He seemed genuinely happy. "I was beginning to think that you weren't coming back. Alas, if you were looking for a battle, my Pokemon are still at the Daycare."

"That's not what I wanted, Mr. Hawk," Earl replied gravely. "If you haven't noticed, Team Plasma's invaded Castelia, and Burgh says that we should find their headquarters and destroy them from the inside."

"Uh... that's kind of what I said," Burgh continued. He turned and smiled to the British man. "Hello, Mr. Hawk. I hope things are going well. But Earl's right; there's a rather dire matter at hand."

Cilan and I looked at each other and shrugged. At least this time, someone was as clueless as I was.

"Indeed," Mr. Hawk agreed. "It was quite intuitive of Mr. Baldridge to come and talk to me." Earl beamed as if he'd been awarded a gold medal in awesomeness or something. "I can check some of the recent purchasings of realty that could double as a headquarters, but no promises."

"That would help us very much," Burgh said gratefully. We all crowded around Mr. Hawk's computer, watching him type like a Magby was trying to sit on his hands or something. Seriously, typing must've been what made this man feel young again. He had cranked out, sorted, and thrown aside all the listings from over two weeks ago in about ten minutes. And this was Castelia we're talking about.

"Well, this Team Plasma must be very good at organizing on short notice," Mr. Hawk remarked, still sorting through thousands of listings. "They must've purchased their headquarters in the past two weeks." Then, all the sudden, he stopped. For a second I was afraid his ticker stopped working and he was about to fall over dead, but he talked and I let out my breath. "Here we are. Someone bought a building, relatively cheap. Went by the initials 'N.H.' Ring any bells?"

"Not, but it's good enough for me," Burgh concluded tersely. "Where is this building?"

"Here's something interesting," Mr. Hawk said mischeviously, "the building is a nieghbor to your very gym, Burgh." Poor guy. He could've fallen into an abyss and looked no different.

"What?" he yelled. "They've been living down the street the entire time?"

"This is why you should always welcome your nieghbors," I teased.

"But... what..."

"Maybe we should go," Cilan suggested.

"Yeah," Earl agreed. He turned to Mr. Hawk, smiling. "Thanks, Sethall!" The president cringed. I'm not sure why. My big-mouthed friend certainly couldn't have been referring to _him_, right?

"Goodbye, Earl," Mr. Hawk replied. "You'll be the first person I call when I get my Pokemon back."

"Sweet!" With a murmurred goodbye from Burgh and awkward goodbyes from me and Cilan, the four of us headed out of the Battle Company and in the direction of the gym once more. I saw the Castelian in Burgh as we trekked through the crowd, consisting even more of Team Plasma grunts now.

"The _nerve _of them!" the gym leader ranted. "They think they can just run their criminal organization in my backyard? I'll show them! They'll wish they never even entered the gates of Castelia!" There was more, of course, but this story is rated K+. And Dina would have a heart attack.

It was kind of embarassing, though, when we began searching for the building. We were in such a hurry to leave Mr. Hawk's office that we forgot to ask him _which _building was their HQ. So Burgh would just storm into the lobby, look for any abundance of grunts or knight costumes, and then storm out. It looked as if the personified 70's was upset at modern times and expressing his displeasure through thorough examination of the main room in every skyscraper.

Finally, though, we found it. It was easy when you noticed that there were _grunts everywhere_. There were so many costumes I was getting dizzy. And then, who better to join the party but Ghetsis and two of his other fat followers?

"Briar Casey of Kanto," Ghetsis smirked. I took a moment to wonder why he was talking to me and not the gym leader, but then again I guess I'm more intimidating. "It was impressive how quickly you found our headquarters. Congratulations."

"I'm not gonna ask how you know my name because I'm sure that while in front of you _someone _must've said it," I replied, "so instead I'm going to kindly ask you to leave Castelia."

"Why should we?" Ghetsis ranted. "It appears you don't have that little girl here to protect you anymore. What can you do?" I waited a second, hoping Jazelle would burst in and yell "I'm almost fourteen!" before beating the crap out of Ghetsis, but it was not to be. Oh well, no grunt butt-kicking today.

"By the classic strategy used by Pokemon trainers," I answered. "I'm going to use my Pokemon. I'll battle you or your grunts right now."

"Me too!" Earl and Cilan exclaimed at the same time.

"Shut up, you're making us look like dorks now," I hissed. The withered under my gaze.

"I'll stand by Briar no matter how scary her glare is!" Burgh stated, stepping forward. To be honest, I was relieved. "Get out of my city!" Ghetsis, not looking as smug as before, looked at me, then at Burgh, then back at me.

"Fine!" he scowled. "I'll leave this pathetic city of yours behind. It's of no real use to Team Plasma's true purpose anyway." The leader turned to his funny-looking followers, a king to his subjects. "Plasma! Move out!" And, in a process that took less than three minutes, the entire building (the entire city) was cleared of everything Plasma. This time, though, Earl lost it.

"You idiot!" he screamed at Burgh, so loud that even I was taken aback. "You just let them go _again_! How could you do something so stupid? We may have been able to end all our problems right then!" There was a moment of tense silence, then Burgh put a calm hand on Earl's shoulder.

"It is still not the day, Earl Baldridge," he replied calmly. Earl withered again. "Today is not the day."

That night...

It was a windy night. I had driven Team Plasma out of the city only an hour before. Forget, Tea, Ming, Seary, Sage, and I had looked like total bosses as we left the Daycare. I swore that if I didn't beat Burgh tonight, I never would.

I entered the gym, the wicked and wild wind blowing down the doors to let me in. Even Clyde had traces of trepidation as he handed me my Fresh Water, which I drank instead. Just to add to my current awesomeness. I opened door after door after door, as apparently whatever puzzle that was usually in place had been taken down that night. Burgh was waiting for me on the other side of the final one.

"How did I know that you'd be coming here tonight?" he asked, grinning.

"Because I'm just that cliche," I answered. Then, wanting to have the last word, I yelled: "Go, Tea!" My acrobatic Panpour did a few flips before landing on the ground, and I swore she became more flexible every time she left her Poke Ball.

"Go, Dwebble!" shouted Burgh, taken aback by my quick movements. I was ready for this Pokemon, as it had been the only one I could beat before.

"Tea, Water Gun!" I ordered. A jet of water at lightning speed propelled from her mouth, hitting the much slower Dwebble dead-on. I could tell this battle would be over soon.

"Dwebble, use Rock Throw!" commanded Burgh. The little rock crab rolled back onto it's feet, hit but not defeated. Chunks of earth rose from the floor and were launched in Tea's direction. I didn't even need to tell her anything. It was like spies when they're trying to get past infared lasers. And in slow motion. Yeah. Because my Panpour is just that cool.

"Use Water Gun again!" I ordered, satisfied that not a single rock had hit her.

"Use Rock Throw again!" Burgh shouted back. This time, the rocks broke through the water and smashed into Tea. She was thrown against the wall, and I was worried for a moment. But, not one to miss a chance at theatrics, she did and backflip and landed like a master gymnast. Jazelle and Ming would've been proud.

"Water Gun, one more time! And make sure you're ready!" Tea built up a massive amount of water in her cheeks, preparing to unleash it in torrents, when Burgh shouted his own order.

"Use Bug Bite! Quickly!" With speed I didn't know it possessed, Dwebble scurried towards Tea, pincers raised and mouth (which revealed some surprisingly gnarly teeth) open.

But he was too slow.

Tea unleashed the torrent at the perfect time, sending Dwebble being flushed towards the wall. But I'm sure he had been KO'd before then.

"You did good, Dwebble," Burgh assured as he returned it. Looking back at me with something between anger and annoyance in his eyes, he released his next Pokemon. "Go, Whirlipede!"

"Time for a change myself. Go, Seary!" Tea backflipped over to my side right as my Pansear was released from her Poke Ball. Burgh went pale. I knew for a fact that the only reason Earl (who had gone on ahead with Cilan before my match) had beaten the gym leader so easily was because he had a fire type. Now, the odds were equal.

"Poison Sting, Whirlipede!" Burgh ordered, not letting me get the adventage of first hit again. Whirlipede spun around, sending spikes sizzling with poison Seary's way. Perhaps this was to big a challenge for our first fight.

Seary did not think so. She skittered out of the way of the endless amounts of spikes Whirlipede flung her way, the look of fearlessness never wavering. It was no wonder that Sage loved her.

"Your turn!" I countered. "Incinerate!" Seary circled the Whirlipede at lightning speed, then got close enough to deliver a perfect attack. I liked this girl.

"Whirlipede, use Rollout!" Burgh commanded, the sweat forming on his brow. Whirlipede stopped spinning in place and instead blasted off towards Seary.

"Incinerate! Wipe him out before he even touches you!" Seary had no trouble obeying. She jumped right as Whirlipede whizzed by her, then sent a nasty Incinerate his way. Combine that with the fact that immediately afterwards he rammed into the wall, and it's no wonder I had just accomplished so epic a victory. Burgh returned the Pokemon that had wiped out ever one of mine before, whispering comforting words as he did with Dwebble. Then, he sent out his final Pokemon, the one I never even saw.

"Go, Leavanny!" It was almost as tall as Burgh, and a heck of a lot scarier. It's arms seemed capable of slicing Seary in half on the spot, and it looked fast enough to outrun most Castelians.

"Wait a second," I murmured, and then, _lightbulb_. It seemed so obvious. This Pokemon was of course a Bug-type, as all of Burgh's were, but it was also _Grass-type_. As intimidating as she was, Seary had almost every advantage possible against this Leavanny. One good Incinerate and she was out of the picture.

"Just one Incinerate, Seary, that's all we need," I informed her. "Let's start trying now!" Seary dashed towards the Leavanny, building up heat with every step. But Burgh was not about to go down without a fight.

"Razor Leaf!" Leavanny was a blur as she sent what seemed like thousands of razor-sharp leaves in my Pansear's direction, and it also seemed like every one hit her with perfect accuracy. Seary was thrown back against a wall, badly injured already. Suddenly, drinking the Fresh Water seemed like a very, very bad idea.

"Don't give up!" I encouraged. "One Incinerate, that's all we need, remember?" So Seary got up and tried again, but the leaves always hit her before she could unleash her blazing ring of fire. They hit her and hit her until I had my Poke Ball poised to pull her out. They hit her and hit her until Forget, Ming, and Tea all had to keep Sage from killing the Leavanny (and probably me, too.) They hit her and hit her until Seary could take it no longer. Then, with a screech powerful enough to stop the fresh torrent of leaves in their tracks, Seary let out what might go down in history as the best Incinerate ever (because, reader, Incinerate is not a very good attack). It completely engulfed Leavanny, until Burgh and I were genuinely worried for her life and every other person in the gym began wondering why it became so hot. Then, as quickly as it began, Seary stopped and fell on her butt, weak. I don't need to tell you that Leavanny had fainted.

"That was," Burgh began, then cut himself off to look for better words. "That was... spectacular! Inspiring! Amazing! The best battle I've had in such a long time! Thank you, Briar, for honoring me with a battle. Here's all I can give you. It doesn't begin to describe this great night." I don't know. An Insect Badge seemed to sum it all up quite nicely to me.

Outside, leaving Castelia...

As much as I loved the city, It was definitely time to go. The only time I had been ready to leave more was when I left Nuvema. But I heard there was a desert beyond here, and it was nighttime, which caused serious debate with myself. But I just wanted to move on. I'd risk it.

"I'd risk it," I repeated, this time out loud.

"Really? I wouldn't." I spun around, wanting to know the dude that was talking. But it was pitch black and all I could see was his sillhouette. Cilan? No, his voice was to manly. Earl? No, he was to tall. Maybe even N? Not enough hair. Then, he stepped closer into the light, and I gasped.

This man was Kantonian.

In fact, he was about as Kantonian as you could get, as he was in the newspaper almost every week and his organization was one of the things my home region was known for.

"I don't care how awesome your orgins are," I told him. "You're not getting my Pokemon, Giovanni."

"It hurts me that a fellow countryman would think that of me immediately," the leader of Team Rocket replied, indeed looking slightly hurt. "Don't pretend that you're not happy to see something Kantonian in this... alien land, Briar Casey." I didn't even ask how he knew my name.

"Why are you here? You're usually stealing Pokemon from your 'fellow countrymen,'" I asked.

"Believe it or not, there are some unique Pokemon here that I have an interest in," Giovanni replied. He looked around, wearing an expression like he'd just smelled a very bad smell. "Sadly, an unfortunate amount of them are worthless and... well, weird."

"Hallelujah, someone else sees what I do!" I exclaimed. A few of the Castelians around me, who obviously didn't recognize the leader of one of the biggest criminal organzations in the world, looked but turned away just as quickly.

"Besides," he continued, "we have the same goal."

"And what's that?" I sneered. "To steal the few unique Pokemon there are?"

"No," Giovanni replied stoically. He continued with more emotion. "Right as I came, the rise of this... Team Plasma began. They are annoying me. So we both want to get rid of them, no?"

"Honestly," I insisted, "I just think they're a bunch of nutcases with fancy suits."

"Nutcases that are very organized and have a lot of money to throw around," Giovanni added gravely. When I thought about it, they were organized enough to develope a base in Castelia in two weeks, and had the money to do it. "Trust me, Casey. They are about to become much more serious than they appear. Especially that Ghetsis..."

"Ghetsis is already pretty messed up to me," I said, scrunching up my face.

"Still. You must watch out for him. You can really trust me, as I miss everything about Kanto as much as you do." A pang of home-sickness over whelmed me, and all the sudden I felt like hugging the man as if he were my uncle rather than a notorious criminal. "Don't worry. Though you may not want it, Team Rocket will always be there for you, child."

"And what about you?" I asked, now sounding very similar to a child.

"It depends. I'm a very busy man." Oh, right. Bad guy. And then, with one dramatic streetlight being turned off, Giovanni was gone.

My mom and dad are gone. The Pikachu topiary is too far away. But now, I had this living, breathing piece of Kanto that maybe did have similar goals to my own.

Maybe I'd wait until morning to cross the desert after all.

**Author's Note: Yeah. Giovanni. Because he's just that cool.**

**Did anyone get my Viva la Vida reference? That awesome song by Coldplay? I love that song...**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	12. Chapter 11

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: To SkullChicka: AMERICA. I HAVE 6 REVIEWS FOR MY STORY. 3 OF THEM ARE FROM YOU. STOP.**

**Valentine's Day. I'd been thinking for days about how to make this chapter interesting. And then, in bed (like all my great ideas), at midnight, listening to that song Petey sings in**** Fantastic Mr. Fox****, it came to me.**

**Maybe it's because I'd been reading ****Maddigan's Fantasia**** for too long. (After all, it only took 2 FREAKING WEEKS for SkullChicka to finish it.) But all the sudden, BAM. Inspiration. Let's hope it pays off.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I'm really getting tired of wiriting these, but I'm pretty sure it's illegal not to. Darn.**

Chapter 11

Two Arists and a King

Let me tell you right now, it was the decision of my life to stay in Castelia, because my eyes are still burning from my first step into the desert.

A sandstorm that I did not know existed came in torrents, assaulting every milimeter of everything that it could grasp. My hands flew to my eyes and nose, and Forget and Sage retreated into the shelter of my trench coat. I took a small step forward, with difficulty. I took another, ready to make the intelligent decision and go back, when someone grabbed my arm and mercifully lead me into a nearby building that I would've seen if it weren't for the fact that that would have sand-papered my eyes.

Once I realized I wasn't being torn to pieces by sand, I removed my hand from my eyes and saw a girl with wavy red hair putting a pair of goggles on a table. Her head turned to me, and I saw that she had bright green eyes, not to mention was a lot shorter than me. This was odd, because I had never seen a Unovian with red hair, but she was certainly short like them.

"Great idea, walking into a the desert in the middle of a sandstorm!" the redhead cried sarcastically. Yep. She was _definitely_ not Unovian. I was about to come up with another completely un-Unovian retort, but then I remembered that, if it weren't for this girl (I remember thinking she was from Hoenn), my skin, well, it wouldn't be there anymore.

"I didn't know, gosh!" I replied defensively. "Thanks for, um, saving me."

"No problem. What goes around comes around, you know?" When she said the last part, she glanced around at the abundance of construction workers. "Anyway, I'm Chloe. And my cousin Rae should be around here somewhere..."

"Chloe! Did you know that Blitzle are born without stripes?"

"There she is." A very tall girl, even taller than me, with short, black hair and eyes every color you can imagine burst through a cluster of construction workers near us and nearly rammed into Chloe. And then... _another _Rae burst through a cluster of construction workers near us and _did _ram into Chloe.

"Oh crap," I muttered anxiously, "is there a Musharna in here?" The first Rae giggled and morphed into a small, black fox-like Pokemon, who giggled again. "Oh no... that sand damaged my eyes. Someone call a doctor."

"Zorua!" Rae scolded. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Now stop turning into me and confusing the crap out of everyone, you hear?" Zorua giggled one final time, then hopped obediently into Rae's arms.

"Um... I am really confused. Can someone please explain to me what the heck is going on?"

"Oh, hi! I didn't see you there," Rae remarked. Of course she didn't; I've met the first chick in forever who actually has to look down to see me. "I'm Rae! And this is Zorua!" The fox-like Pokemon squirmed a bit in her arms, but remained there.

"Just don't expect him to stay that way for long," muttered Chloe. "I should've known it was him when you didn't injure me the first time."

"Who are you?" Rae questioned, ignoring her cousin's remarks.

"I'm Briar," I responded tersely. Tired of introductions, I looked out the window and changed subjects. "So... how long do you think this will go on?"

_After all_ I thought, _if I knew I'd be walking into this then I'd have just stayed in Castelia._

"Hard to say, especially since this is the first time I've ever been in a desert at all," Chloe replied. She turned to a construction worker, standing all by his lonesome, and asked: "Hey, Bill, how do you think this'll last?"

"I don't know, but it'll probably be going on for a few hours longer," Bill the construction worker replied.

"Dang it! We've been in here for two hours already," Chloe complained.

"Well, if we're going to spend the rest of our lives in here, we might as well get to know each other," Rae pointed out. "This is Chloe. I'm Rae, and this is Zorua. We're from Hoenn." Did I call that or what?

"We're traveling artists," Chloe explained. "We've been traveling Unova, visiting the most artistic cities, and Nimbasa is our next stop. We were about halfway there, when a couple of construction workers showed up and said, unless we had a pair of jet packs hidden in our pockets, we better come with them to be shielded from the storm. And here we are."

"What about you?" Rae asked.

"Well..." So I told them my life story, and eventually my charm and humor got the attention of the construction workers, too. Soon, it was Story Time with Briar, and the story that day was sad. I told them about my moving to Kanto and having my dream crushed to a pulp; I told them about Gracie and her death, as well as my inheritance of Forget; I told of the first time Dina, Earl, and I encountered Team Plasma; I told them of my first win, and Cilan joining us, soon followed by Jazelle; and finally, I told them of our multiple adventures in Castelia. The sandstorm had died down an hour ago by the time I was done.

"Whoa," Rae murmured. "That's intense."

"How about you come to Nimbasa with me?" I asked Rae and Chloe when the workers told us it was okay to leave. "We could, you know, do some stuff together before you do artist-y stuff and I challenge the gym. Maybe introduce you to Earl and Cilan, if I can find them."

"Cool!" Rae exclaimed. "Maybe we'll have adventures like you and Earl and Cilan did in Castelia."

"It would be hard _not _to have an adventure in Nimbasa," Chloe pointed out. "That place has a bit of everything. Castelia has lots of buildings, sure. But it's filled with cranky business people. It's not exactly a paradise for teenagers. Nimbasa, on the other hand, has sports stadiums and theme parks and places to battle. _That's _a place for adventure."

"You're right," I agreed. "In fact, it'll be interesting to see what Cilan and Earl have been up to. Considering their record of being alone before, it should be interesting.

In Nimbasa...

Earl and Cilan were _not _the first familiar faces I saw, however. It was someone I had not expected, considering that I'd seen him not long before when I went to pick up Seary and Sage (who was still only walking beside me, often at a safe distance.)

"Listen, old man!" exclaimed one of three Plasma grunts to the elderly tourist. "We know that you have access to a lot of Pokemon, so hand over the keys to that cute little Daycare of yours right now!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I could never do that!" His gaze darted around and landed on me. "You! That trainer that drove away these ridiculous men before! Help me!"

"Crap! How does she always appear wherever we are?" moaned one of the grunts.

"Because _you_ are going on the most trainer-ridden path in all of Unova!" I retorted.

"Oh! So these are the Team Plasma guys you keep talking about?" Rae asked.

"You're right. Their costumes are completely ridiculous," Chloe laughed.

"Let us fight them with you! We have Pokemon too!" Rae ordered.

"Sure. Be my guest." The six of us, me, Rae, Chloe, and the grunts, all pulled our Poke Balls out at the same time. Rae released a Sandile, a Pokemon that I'd seen a lot of in the desert, and Chloe released a Deino, which... well, I like Chloe, so I'll stop at saying that it looks like a hipster. Without even paying attention to who I was fighting with, I unleashed Seary on the opponent's Watchog. Oh. This would be good.

"Seary! Incinerate!" I ordered, and my Pansear seemed more than happy to use a move that nearly killed a Leavanny in her last battle. This time, of course, it wasn't as powerful, but it still hit the Watchog pretty hard. The stupid weasel jumped right back up, though, and followed its trainer's order. Mega Fang. Awesome. But this stupid ferret thing was no match for my fire monkey. One more Incinerate and it was history.

I observed Chloe and Rae's fighting while my former opponent gathered up his jaw and tried to put it back on his face. Chloe, I observed, was a more strategic fighter, with defense attacks and everything. Rae, on the other hand, approached with the blitzkrieg method: attacking like a madwoman and, in the end, obliterating the opponent. Most of the time. Luckily, since it was Team Plasma, her German attempts were a success.

"Fine, old man," scoffed Chloe's opponent. "There are other Pokemon. And when Team Plasma takes over, all the Daycare Pokemon will be released, with every other Pokemon there is!"

"You're right," agreed a grinning Chloe. "They're total nut-cases." Giovanni's words echoed in my head: they may be nut-cases, but organized nut-cases with lots of money. But by the time I finished thinking this thought, the grunts were high-tailing up the street and quickly out of sight. I cursed under my breath.

"Thank you so much," exclaimed the Daycare Man, shaking our hands and extinguishing my anger. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shown up. But I must be heading back now. Elaine will be so very worried..." Wait, what? The Daycare couple have names? Whoa...

"Well, maybe we can meet you later, Briar!" Rae chirped, already cutting off all blood to Chloe's hand. "See ya!" And, before I could really do anything, fiery Rae and cool Chloe were racing down the same street the grunts had raced down just a moment before. Great. Something tells me I'll be seeing them again.

"Briar!" I snapped out of my dream world, expecting to see Earl or Cilan. But, to my surprise, I saw none other than N.

"Hey!" I exclaimed with false cheer. "If it isn't the king of weird Unovian dudes. I would say something about Unovian dudes with green hair, but since I'm friends with one now, it would be offensive."

"I"m going to make both our lives easier and pretend I didn't hear that," N remarked, irritated. "Besides, I suspect that you're after Team Plasma. I saw them go into the theme park. Shall we head there?" Not surprisingly, I was creeped out by the offer. I didn't even know that N knew I knew Team Plasma. But, like I said, Cilan and Earl were probably international movie or sports (okay, maybe not sports) stars by now, so I needed some sort of redeeming factor.

"Sure. What the heck." N and I headed towards the large, garrish gate at the entrance, exclaiming in extravagant letters "NIMBASA CITY AMUSEMENT PARK, WHERE THE FUN NEVER STOPS!" Not what I'd call the most original motto, but N and I headed in nonetheless.

"Let's go ride the ferris wheel," N suggests. "They say you can see all of Nimbasa from up there."

"Okay, why not. That's actually pretty clever, king-boy."

Boy, was _that _ever the stupid decision.

N and I got into a car together, and thus began the most revealing, not to mention awkward, ferris wheel ride of my life.

"Um, Briar?" N asked, sounding quite timid now.

"Don't tell me you're going to admit your undying love to me now, are you?" I asked sarcastically.

"What? No! That's ridiculous. I... never mind. But, you see, I'm..."

"Out with it, king-boy!"

"That's the thing!" N exclaimed uncharacteristically. "I _am _a king! The king of..."

"Unova? The world? The greasy burger joint down the road? Spit it out, man!"

"I'm the king of Team Plasma!" Whoa. Drama bomb. I kinda just sat there, with a dumb look on my face, and N went on. "Man, it feels good to get that off my chest! Listen, I know I must've sounded so pretentious back there, because that's just how I am when I'm beating around the bush, and I'm sorry about that, but-"

"You're _what?_" I exclaimed, not so much surprised as wanting for an answer.

"The king of Team Plasma. The boss. Head honcho. Big cheese. Geez, Ghetsis never let me say that kind of stuff."

"You're the _king _of that batch of crazies?" I questioned, doubling over. "Man, I should've seen that one coming! First the hair, then the pretentious-ness- yeah man, you _were_ really pretentious- of _course _you're the _king_! Oh man, what a day! What a _day_!" Looking back on it, I feel really bad, because the look on N's face was a perfect mixture of surprise at my reaction and sadness at it as well. But I just kept on laughing away.

"It's serious business, Team Plasma!" insisted N as the ferris wheel lurched to a stop and we got out.

"Of course it is. But listen, king-boy, here is an order you shouldn't hesitate to give: _change the get-up_. No one can take you seriously dressed like the Knights of the Round Table."

"The apparel of Team Plasma is known of your concern-"

"My Lord N!" N spun around and I looked past his tall frame. There were the three grunts from earlier. "Is this girl bothering you? Let us eliminate her at once!"

"No need!" responded N, right before leaning in and whispering in my ear: "Just follow my lead." Turning back to the grunts, he continued: "I am going to honor this girl with the battle she asked for."

"And I'm about to honor you with a fist in your face!" I muttered so only he could hear.

"Go, Sigilyph!" N persisted, more hurried now.

Aside from that stupid Sandile, I obliterated every Pokemon he had with Seary.

I was really starting to like her.

"No one hears about this, got it?" ordered N to the grunts. They nodded obediently. "Good. Now go." They did not hesitate. N turned back to me. "Sorry. Grunts. They seem to want to protect me like I'm some sort of king."

"I thought you said you _weren't _pretentious," I pointed out, irritated. "And was that battle really necessary? Or did you just want to battle? Battling has gotten tiresome lately, since it's always been with your men. And they're really weak."

"I'll make sure to have my second order be that they train harder," replied N, actually smiling.

"The first better be that they change their outfits."

"We'll see. But anyway, I'll tell you something right now: you may call us crazy. You may make fun of my hair and their outfits. But what Team Plasma's doing is for the good of Pokemon everywhere. They are being suppressed, _abused_, and Team Plasma's goal is to stop it. I've... I've seen it happen, Briar Casey. Pokemon are my friends. I can't let this happen to them any longer." I paused.

"Yeah. Whatever. Just watch out for Team Rocket, man. I know for a fact that they're not happy with you." N just looked at me for a second, then walked away.

**Author's Note: So it's been a while, eh? Yeah... sorry.**

**And take that, Fabula! Both you and Areo are in it now. So draw the stinking cover.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	13. Chapter 12

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: **_**Mortal opposite**_**- meaning that it's the complete opposite of something else.**

**Dodgerjoey has just added himself to my list of awesome people. Aren't they the best?**

**Did anyone get my Adventure Time reference? Please? Anyone? And when N tells Briar to follow his lead, I imagined it like Sherlock Homes telling Adler to follow his lead in the movie. So there's another reference.**

**One more thing: FABULA HAS FOUND OUT A WAY TO GET WORDPAD DOCUMENTS ONTO MICROSOFT WORD! YAY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 12

The City of Leisure

After N confessed his undying love- I mean that he was the king of Team Plasma- I decided that I needed to vent my anger to someone. Can you say _Earl_? (Answer: Not necessarily. You can also say Estroy, Luckwin, Sequopah, etc.)

Apparently, I was not the only one who needed to vent my anger.

"Take that, you stupid jocks!" Cilan exclaimed as a cluster of muscle-heads ran from the two sports.

"How scrawny are we now?" Earl yelled.

"_Very _scrawny," I answered, prompting the two to turn around. And I must've looked pretty B.A., because their faces fell and they both jumped about a foot away. "I just _can't _leave you two alone, can I?"

"Uh... uh..." Cilan stammered.

"H-Hey, B-Briar," Earl choked out. I advanced towards them and, before they could run away, I grabbed them both by the ear and began dragging their as-

"Briar! Earl! Cilan!" Still painfully pinching their ears, we all turned around and, sure enough, saw Dina and Jazelle.

"Hey guys," I greeted, dragging Earl and Cilan with me towards our companions.

"Briar, could you please release my brother?" Dina winced.

"Your _brother _let off what appears to be a stink bomb in the sports stadiums with spice-man over here, and therefore he deserves it, but fine." I released Earl's red ear, but promptly smacked the back of his head. Needless to say he scurried out of my reach. "And I guess I forgive you too, Greenie." Cilan followed in his new best friend's footsteps.

"So, besides terrorizing muscle-brained jocks, what have you been up to?" Jazelle questioned.

"They've been losing to those same muscle-brained jocks, and I've been a good Samaritan and beaten up grunts right and left. And found out that... never mind." Why tell them now? I'd wait until it was needed. Or maybe N would take them up on the Ferris wheel himself.

Then, out of the stinky smoke, emerged the very same cluster of jocks I'd seen before, and they picked out Earl and Cilan like a hawk spots a mouse. Advancing towards the two idiots, Earl looked at Jazelle desperately.

"Can't you, like, beat them up or something?" he prodded, shivering.

"_You're _the one that set a stink bomb in the stadium!" she protested.

"Hey! It's the loser and his waiter that suck at football!" they chanted.

"Oh man," I muttered, "they're gonna kill you."

"Run!" Earl and Cilan yelled simultaneously. And they were mid-step, when their green-haired savior and his stupidly dressed pawns swooped down to save their sorry butts.

"I bet _they've _taken advantage of their Pokémon," a familiar calm voice stated. Suddenly, the area was swarming with Team Plasma grunts, all blocking the path between the jocks and us. And, from the midst of them, appeared N.

"Wait... you... what?" Dina stuttered, confused.

"He's the king of Team Plasma," I added stoically, flicking my hair. "Did I forget to mention that?"

"Yes!" Earl stammered.

"Who's this guy?" Jazelle asked, cocking her head.

"I am N, and yeah, I'm the king of Team Plasma," he replied, swatting at the air around his nose.

"Wait, you're those guys that were kicking to Munna-"

"Um, guys?" Cilan interrupted, sounding scared. "So sorry to interrupt this dramatic reveal, but there's a baker's dozen jocks that would find a lot of pleasure in beating mine and Earl's brains in, so can we leave?"

"Oh, yeah, good idea!" N agreed, and we all fled the smelly scene. We ran down the street, small Jazelle at the head, and didn't stop until we were a few feet away from the very sign that N and I had crossed underneath no more than two hours before.

"Okay, so I'm just gonna give the synopsis of king-boy's sad little story to save him the breath," I stated. Before he could object, I began. "So a few grunts ran off after me and a couple of awesome artist chicks from Hoenn kicked their a-"

"Briar..."

"Butts, and being the gentleman every king must be, N lead to me the theme park where he said they were. We boarded the Ferris wheel, hoping to get a better look, when he confessed his undying love for me."

"What?" everyone exclaimed at the same time, N the loudest of all.

"Just kidding," I assured, not changing my expressionless face or tone of voice at all. "He _did _confess that he was the king of Team Plasma, though, and then made me battle him when we got off. He says it was because he was trying to get the grunts that mysteriously showed up away, but I don't believe him. Doesn't matter, I kicked his butt with Seary. So, everyone's caught up now, right? Good? Good. And that lair in Castelia? N.H.? It was N Harold? Hoffman?"

"Harmonia, and there's a lot more to my story than that, Briar," he scoffed.

"Big deal!" And, suddenly, I noticed Rae's tall form towering over everyone. "We just saw a few knights stealing some old dude's Herdier! I had to get my Sandile to bite him and scare him off!"

"Yeah, man," Chloe agreed, shaking her head of red curls. "You need to just write a sad poem in your journal, and move on. You're hurting people."

"Are you kidding?" Rae shouted, leaning forward. "Harmonia just don't care!" Zorua appeared around her shoulder and barked his agreement.

"Is that true?" Jazelle asked, her blue eyes looking like little fires.

"I-I had no idea! They were stealing Pokémon? Was that old man beating the Herdier or something?"

"You kidding? He was feeding the Pidove!" Chloe scoffed.

"I... I don't know why they'd do that-"

"YOU JERK!" N was lucky that Cilan grabbed the little karate master like at the museum, or his kind-of cute face would have very quickly become... not cute. "It was _your _people that were kicking the Munna in the Dreamyard! It's no wonder that they hadn't been showing up! It's _you _mistreating Pokémon, you hypocrites!"

"Th-that's not what we're supposed to be doing at all!" N insisted, stepping back. "I need to talk to them! To Ghetsis!"

"You better," I agreed, as emotionless as ever. "You're really being made into the bad guy right now."

"I... I'll make it up to you," he promised, looking down and pretty pathetic. Even I felt a little sorry for him. But not as much as Dina.

"It's okay, N!" she insisted, running up to him. He looked at her, shocked. "We can all tell you had no idea what was going on with the grunts! Right, guys?" She looked at everyone, giving us a look that melted our hearts.

"Of course we do," I agreed for everyone, leaning against the sign and examining my nails. N looked at everyone, then at Dina, and finally away from us all. From where I stood, though, it looked as if he was... blushing?

Suddenly, Zorua began yipping from his post on Rae's shoulder. He jumped down, much to his owner's dismay, and began running towards the stadiums, to everyone else's dismay.

"Zorua! Wait up!" Rae began to chase after him, Chloe close behind, and the rest of us found ourselves following. The massive cloud seemed to have cleared out, as well as the jocks and the grunts.

"I should probably be worried," N remarked.

"Be worried later!" I ordered. "It's illogical to pick a wannabe knight over an adorable transforming fox!" This really wasn't a very good argument, but he followed us anyway. Zorua led us into a route to the side of town. It had a smaller gate than usual, and was outshined by the Musical Theater, so it's not hard to imagine someone missing it. Zorua scampered on through, and Rae ducked and followed.

The route was like a garden in a city house. You couldn't see it directly, but you couldn't get away from the urban influence. The smell, the noises, the people, you could see the city in them. But it was still calm. And Zorua kept on scampering. We all scrambled up the asphalt road, nearly knocking down some bikers and runners. Soon, the little black fox had led us further into the woods, and now there were fewer people and lots more grass. It was hard to see Zorua, even though I was the third tallest person in the group. Luckily, Rae and N seemed to have tracking down, and soon we found him sitting and staring up at a trailer, wagging his tail.

"What's in here?" Rae asked, scooping her tired Pokémon into her arms.

"Pokémon," N replied excitedly. "I can hear them."

"Oh, yeah, he can talk to Pokémon. For everyone besides me, Earl, Dina, and possibly Cilan," I informed. "I forget if he mentioned it when you two met." N, not deterred by my remark about him, ascended the steps and knocked on the door. There was no answer.

"Are you sure you're little Pokémon friend's alive?" Jazelle asked, cocking her head and squinting her eyes, like she often did when she was confused.

"Positive," N confirmed. "I can't hear her if she's dead, can I?" He tried the knob, and it did all but come off in his hands. The door creaked open, and it revealed a dark interior to a mediocre trailer. Light flooded in from around N, like it was desperate to feed the deprived home. And inside... was a woman. No Pokémon. Just a woman.

"Looks like your sixth sense failed you," Chloe stated matter-of-factly, looking inside the trailer the woman. "No Pokémon."

"What do you mean?" N asked. "She's right there." He pointed to the woman, whose eyes were narrowing at her intruders.

"That's a woman," Rae corrected, looking over their shoulders and holding Zorua up so he could see, too. Suddenly, the woman let out an inhuman cry and transformed into another black Pokémon, with what looked like red hair and some more red fur on her neck and tail. With speed that put Jazelle's to shame, she flawlessly snatched Zorua from Rae's shoulders and cradled him.

"A Zoroark?" Dina and Jazelle exclaimed.

"Told you," N muttered.

"Hey! Give Zorua back!" Rae ordered. She pushed past her cousin and N and advanced into the cabin. Zoroark growled defensively, clutching Zorua to her chest. But the mischievous little thing wiggled from her grasp and ran to his true momma. Zoroark began to chase him, but stopped and hung her head.

"She's looking for her son," N translated, looking suspiciously and Rae.

"This Zorua is mine!" she barked.

"Are you sure?" I prodded. "This may turn out to be like cheesy late-night movies and I don't want to be depressed."

"_This _is _my _Zorua," Rae insisted, and I've never heard a more confident voice. "He's the son of my aunt's Zoroark, and we just saw my aunt in Driftveil."

"Okay, good, because like I said, I don't want to be depressed today."

"But what are we gonna do about _her _Zorua?" Dina asked, petting the Zoroark's head.

"She says that he hasn't been gone long, only since yesterday. She also says he's probably in the city," N translated.

"How the crap did you do that? She didn't even make any noise!" I demanded.

"I grew up around Pokémon. They don't need to talk," N remarked. "Now, come on, her Zorua couldn't have gotten far. He's somewhere in the city."

"There's one problem." Everyone turned to our resident redhead. "Zorua can change forms. We could be staring right at him and not even know!"

"What- oh, yeah, she just said that. But... she's also saying that he laughs more than most Zorua. All you have to do is look at him and he'll start cracking up. Do you know what a Zorua's laugh sounds like?"

"Zorua!" Rae ordered. "Laugh!" Zorua let out his signature giggle, and inside this creepy dark trailer, it was easily burned into our brains.

"We'll be back soon," N assured the worried mother, who morphed back into a woman. Really, I didn't know why she couldn't just come with us, but oh well. Maybe it's a Mom thing. Or and N thing.

Anyway, we were soon back in the city of leisure, even though that title seemed less and less appropriate. It was really awkward, looking for the other Zorua, because we had to look everyone deeply into the face. I swear, everyone must've thought we were nuts. I was about to start ranting about how completely stupid we were being, when the tallest, most beautiful Unovian woman I'd ever seen did it for me.

"_What _are you _doing_?" she questioned.

"We're looking for a Zorua," Chloe informed, since all the guys seemed suddenly incapable of speech. Probably because they'd never seen someone so certifiably beautiful before, combined with the fact that they're idiots. "If you look him in the eyes, he laughs."

"A Zorua, huh?" she asked, rubbing her perfectly pointed chin. "Hm... I think I can help you." She grinned a patented smile that I'm pretty nearly gave every man within a ten-foot radius of us a heart attack. "I'm Elesa. Follow me to my gym."

"Wait, you're the gym leader?" I gawked, because 1) she was so much taller than me and had a Unovian accent and 2) I didn't know it was legal for gym leaders to be so gorgeous. "Whoa..." My surprise deepened when I entered her gym: it was a roller coaster. But we didn't have to enter a car (to my disappointment.)

"Lily?" Elesa called to a nearby trainer. She turned to us, a bundle in her arms, and I realized that if I combined her and Jazelle I'd have Gracie back.

"Yes, Ms. Elesa?" She asked, trying to control the wiggling bundle. Oh.

"I think I know where that Zorua belongs. I'll take him." The girl didn't seem to have a problem giving him up, but the Zorua seemed to have a problem going to Elesa (probably the first guy to ever feel that way.) He jumped from their arms, and Rae's followed in his footsteps. They began to sniff each other and all that dog stuff, undaunted by the chaos around. Cue birth of a friendship.

"I don't think you'll have a problem with those two," Elesa remarked. "Can you take it from here?"

"Yes, ma'am," Dina replied already backing out the door. She wasn't a fan of loud noises, either.

"But I'll see some of you again, won't I?" she questioned, eyeing me and Earl. You know, he hadn't made up a new name today. Probably because those jocks had thought up plenty.

"Yes, you will," I replied, grinning.

"Thank you," N said, bowing. Looks like someone regained control of their brain. If he'd ever even lost it (I'd been looking more at Earl and Cilan, since their expressions were surely funnier.) Anyway, we all raced back to the woods, the Zoruas and Jazelle in the lead once more. We arrived completely out of breath, but human Zoroark opened the door for us. The other Zorua let out a squeal and ran to her, and she quickly transformed and caught him.

"Awwww," all the girls (and Cilan) sighed at the same time.

"Hey, look!" Earl exclaimed. The forest was no longer a forest; it was now a meadow, with the most beautiful wildflowers imaginable.

"So this was actually a meadow the entire time," N noted. "Zoroark really is the master of illusion." Turning back to us, he ruefully continued: "Listen, as the king, I need to find the grunts. I'll talk to them and Ghetsis about what you said. But, for now, farewell." We all said bye like we were best friends because, really, who doesn't wanna be buds with a king?

"I think we'll stay here," Chloe stated. "This is heaven for artists."

"And for Zoruas!" Rae laughed, pointing to the Pokémon playing in the flowers.

"Well, we've should head back," I decided. "Jazelle, can you take babysitting duty for these two? Can't have them blowing up the Musical Theater. But Dina and I have some training to do."

**Author's Note: If you've made it this far on your first reading, congratulations! Your attention span is longer than most Americans'. And SkullChicka's. (That's right, America, I'm talking to you.)**

**And if you didn't get at least one reference in here... Oh my goodness.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	14. Chapter 12 and a Half

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Aw, thanks Agent Walrus. I'm glad that my story's good enough to keep you engaged. And don't worry; I assure you right now that I'll finish it.**

**So I'm really sorry that I haven't been updated; education and all that crap (Fabula and Areo will probably tell me that I'm not treating it like crap when they read this), not to mention I've got a new fanfic on my actual account (for those who've forgotten, this story is written by sushi4427). And, unfortunately, I don't think that I can write a full chapter for a while (I'm really really really sorry!) But... um... here's a little half chapter that I thought up a while ago. I hope it's good enough for now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Hey, look! I said "don't" instead of "do not". There's finally some variety.**

Chapter 12 and a ½

Jazelle Teaches N How to Use Chopsticks

"Roller coasters are fantastic," Jazelle's mother told her when she was little. "They're fast and bright and wonderful. I'll take you to the theme park as soon as I can!" So Jazelle's father consented, and her mother took her to the theme park in Nimbasa and let her ride the "fantastic" and "fast and bright and wonderful" roller coasters.

She threw up for an hour afterwards.

"I'll pass." This was the small girl's response when Briar, Dina, Earl, and Cilan asked her to join them in the gym. But since the gym was the roller coaster, and it now had even more bad memories, she answered the above.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Cilan, who had lost all interest in actually fighting the gym leaders, offered.

"No, it's fine. I'm not going to any restaurants, anyway." And, indeed, he seemed to be less inclined at this point, so Jazelle watched him enter the gym with the others and sat down on a bench. After about half an hour of sitting there, listening to screams of children (and Earl on the roller coaster) along with a variety of other theme park noises, she huffed and muttered:

"I'm gonna go find N." Who cares if he's managing an entire criminal organization? He could spare some time to talk to her. Even if she had threatened him earlier.

Jazelle began simply roaming the streets, searching for a tall guy with green hair, maybe a couple hundred grunts. Soon, however, she found this method inefficient and decided (after forcefully kicking a few large rocks) to check the routes around her. Nothing in the desert (though it's not like she could actually see much), and he wasn't with the Zoroark (Rae was, though, and she was frolicking like an elf.) She sprinted to the final route, and came found herself looking at the backs of a few dozen grunts. Jackpot.

Sneaking around the bushes and zigzagging through confused hikers, Jazelle found herself past the horde of grunts and facing their leader. Ghetsis. Ew. Obviously, she had no interest in him, put the king that was standing and looking slightly bored next to him. Jazelle looked around her for a way of catching his attention, without doing the same for a hundred grunts and their scary leader at the same time. She found a pinecone, determined how blurry it would look if she threw it, decided that she could outrun the grunts, and threw it with all her might.

It hit him square in the temple, falling to the ground with a soft _plunk_, which was easily drowned out by Ghetsis' explosive yelling. N's head shot to the side, and a confused look crossed his face when he saw his attacker.

_Come here _Jazelle mouthed.

_What are you doing here? _N mouthed back frantically. _This is our second largest unit. They won't be happy if they see you throwing stuff at their king._

_I did not catch that._

_Don't throw stuff at me or they'll attack you!_

_Oh, them? I can take 'em._

_You can? You're, like, thirteen!_

_Oh, right, you haven't seen me yet. _

_What?_

_Nothing. C'mon, I'm bored, you're bored. Let's go do something. _

_I am not bored. This is important Plasma business._

_N. You're falling asleep. Standing up. Come on, I can teach you to play chopsticks._

_I'm not- fine. I'm dying here. Give me a minute._

N looked around, and miraculously no one had seen his silent conversation with Jazelle. He thought a minute about his options. He was standing in front of a hundred grunts that considered him their king, and ranting next to him was his angry, over-protective kind of father, and he was awkward with anyone but Briar and the grunts. In short, they were limited.

"Hey, Ghetsis, are you almost done?" he found himself blurting out. Yes, Ghetsis did stop, but his reaction wasn't exactly what the sixteen-year-old had been hoping for.

"Excuse me?" he asked, his eyes big and slightly crazed. Jazelle sunk deeper into the bushes.

"Well… it's just that… you've been doing this for an hour now-"

"I'll be done when I'm done and a pathetic little boy like you can't stop me!" he shouted, making poor N recoil. He hung his head as Ghetsis resumed. This did not change the fact that Jazelle could throw something at him from a distance. It was another pinecone, this time with a crumpled piece of paper tucked inside. Slipping it out, a quick, almost illegible note read: _And you call yourself a king?_

"Ghetsis," N interrupted, more forceful this time. Once again, his sort-of father stopped and stared for a moment, increasing the tension to a chilling level.

"Did you just interrupt me again?" he questioned in an icy voice.

"Yes," N replied, only a slight tremble in his tone. "I have… kingly duties in the city. I need to go." Everything was still. Though it seemed impossible, every one of the grunts held their breath, Jazelle watched on with wide eyes, and even the hikers felt the air suddenly go cold.

"Adolescence," Ghetsis murmured, along with a few more words that Jazelle wished she could forget. "Fine, you foolish boy. Go do what you will." N ran past the grunts and to the gate so fast that he arrived first. Jazelle arrived seconds after.

"Nice job standing up to the man, N," she complimented.

"I've never done that before," he explained, sounding dazed. "I have this weird feeling. It's… like…"

"Freedom? Happiness? That longing need you get as a teenager to stand up to your parents?"

"All three of those sound right," he replied excitedly. "Now, what was it that you said you'd teach me?"

"Oh, chopsticks. Here, there's a bench right inside the city, I'll teach you there." She grabbed his wrist and yanked him through the gate. His arm was nearly dislocated by the time she sat him down, and he winced when she gave her first instructions.

"Hold up both of your hands." He did not try to hide his displeasure as he obeyed. "Oh, stop being so angst-y. You can skip that phase of being a teenager today. Anyway, you only need one finger." N withdrew all of his fingers but one on each hand. "Now watch." Jazelle slammed her fingers into one of his, and he recoiled and shook his hand out.

"What is this game, trying to get the other person's fingers to stop working?" he demanded.

"Oh, don't be such a sissy. And put your hand back in, but now hold up two fingers on that hand. It's like I gave it to you. Now you hit one of my hands and I'll get however many fingers you're holding up."

"I'll try not to kill you, like a certain someone," he informed, tapping one of her hands with the two fingers. Afterwards, she clapped her hand and now had two fingers on each hand. "You can also transfer fingers to the other hand. See, the whole point of the game is to get five fingers up on both of the person's hands. Once a person's hand has five fingers, that hand disappears, but they can put fingers on it by doing that clapping thing I just did. Do you get it?"

"I think so," N replied. "Your turn." Jazelle tapped the hand with two fingers, and he clapped and transferred fingers over, then tapped one of her hands to make it disappear.

"No!" Jazelle exclaimed. "You're a newb! You're not allowed to do that so quickly!"

"Ha! I am the king of Team Plasma and shall do what I wish!"

"Ew. Ghetsis is right. No more rebellious N. And besides, I can still clap."

"No! I am the king of Team Plasma and you are not allowed to beat me!"

"Dude, that whole king thing doesn't have much leverage." The two continued like this, and it was evident to everyone around them (who all thought they must be siblings) that these were two of the most competitive people in Nimbasa. They would yell, growl, curse under their breath, call each other lying snakes and accuse the other of cheating. Finally, after about an hour of wearing down their voices and the game never ending, Jazelle began a conversation.

"So you want to liberate Pokémon, huh?"

"That's my goal," N replied, staring at her tiny fingers and negotiating the next five moves. She smacked (tapping was a thing of the past) two of his fingers against two of his, and more plans began to form in his head.

"How do you plan to do that?" she asked, clapping and transferring fingers from her opponent's last move. He cursed softly.

"I want to beat the champion," he explained, trying to rethink his strategy. "Granted, he says there's one person that can beat him every time, but as long as I've beaten him I should have enough leverage to persuade trainers."

"Not Briar," I warned. "That Snivy's all that's left of her best friend. She'll never give it up."

"Really?" N asked, breaking his concentration.

"Yup. Dina told me. Poor girl fell of a ledge in Accumula and cracked her skull, leaving Briar with her Snivy."

"Is that why she's called Forget?" N asked.

"Nope. Graciela- that was her name- had named her after forget-me-nots. You know that, though; Briar says Forget herself told you."

"Oh yeah," he mumbled. He had completely forgotten.

"So yeah. Good luck getting those two away from each other. And I don't think that Dina's Pokémon would leave her if she asked."

"I can see that," N replied, truly stumped on what his next move would be. "But what about you? Do you have any Pokémon?" Jazelle curled her fingers in and looked to the side thoughtfully.

"Yeah," she replied. "I do. And you're not getting them, either."

"You'll see," N warned. He looked like he was going to continue, but thought better of it. "Why'd you go with Briar, though? Why not stay where you were?"

"I was working with a scientist. She's really nice, but a little crazy. Not to mention, I had taken a break from a journey I was on, and it would be a lot less sad if I went on it again with Briar."

"Really?" N asked, finally deciding on a move. He tapped one finger to two of hers, leaving her with three. "What journey was that?" Jazelle did the curling thing again, but this time looked more sad than thoughtful.

"How to cure a broken heart," she finally answered.

"Oh," N laughed, "Jazelle's scandalous. So young but still dating."

"It's not mine, idiot!" she exclaimed, balling her fingers into fists and pointing. N, taken aback by her reaction, said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm pretty sure you had three fingers on one hand and four on the other." Jazelle looked at her hands, surprised that she'd allowed herself to do that.

"You wish. It was three and three." The game continued, with cursing and yelling replacing the conversation, until finally it reached its climax: both players had four fingers on each hand, and it was Jazelle's turn.

"Sorry, N, but newbs like you don't win against pros like me." She tapped one hand, making it disappear, and N did the same. Jazelle won when she did it one final time, making N be out of fingers.

"You cheated."

"You wish."

"I can prove it."

"How?"

"… Fine. I can't. But I'll beat you this time!" Jazelle laughed.

"Sorry man. I'm not having another two-hour chopsticks tournament. But… why don't we play ninja?"

"Ninja?" N asked. "Explain this to me."

"Gladly," Jazelle replied, grinning mischievously.

Later…

"I knew I should've gone with her," Cilan muttered, looking at Jazelle through the window in the hospital. N was in a bed, looking irritated. Jazelle was saying she was sorry, that her aim was a bit off when she punched him in the neck, but she still won, right?

**Author's Note: So this is kind of a full chapter, but I like the way "and a half" sounds, so I'm going with it. **

**So yeah, a little background information on Jazelle (seriously, like, a teaspoon of information.) She and N just seem like the kind of people that would get into a chopsticks battle for two hours. **

**I'll try writing a battling chapter where they all face off against Elesa, but it might be a while. I don't particularly like battling chapters, as you can probably tell from the lack of battling lately. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	15. Chapter 13

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: A shout-out to SkullChicka, who attempted to write this next chapter when I didn't want to (as you can probably see from the last update date.) You did good, America. You did good.**

**Solyeuse: I completely agree. That's the thing about anime that's a lot better than real TV; anime takes the time to establish characters. They don't really leave any stone untured. In real TV, they base the characters around the plot, but in anime, it's really more about the characters. So yes, there's no need to rush, filler chapters are awesome.**

**(Take that, Areo.)**

**Hey guys! There's a Pokemon Black/White 2! As long as I can make the plot interesting and the game itself doesn't suck, I plan on making a sequel.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 13

A Different Kind of Triple Battle

"I'm probably going to regret that," I muttered as we entered the gym. (Note: I did not regret Jazelle nearly breaking N's neck while playing Ninja. In fact, I found that quite humorous. I did, however, regret that I had the most money at the time and therefore the entire hospital bill was on me.)

"Oh Briar!" Dina mused, looking around at this so-called gym. "How many times can I thank you and Forget for busting us out?"

"Thank you's are not necessary, dreaming Dina," I replied. "However, if you want to give me a nickel for every sound wave coming from a toddler's mouth in here, that might suffice." Indeed, there were many toddlers here, riding the roller coaster for who knows why (all they were doing was puncturing my eardrums.) The gym itself was seizure-inducing, with multicolored lights blinding you whichever way you turned.

"This place inspires a new name," Earl declared.

"Oh, Arceus, no," I moaned.

"Something like... _Cheren_." All of us just stood there in silence (and I wish everyone else would've, too.)

"_Cheren_?" I finally spat, all of us laughing our heads off.

"That's a girl's name, dude!" Cilan agreed, bending over and clutching his stomach.

"Oh, and Cilan's _so _much more _manly_!"

"Hey! Don't insult my name!" I was beginning to see why Jazelle didn't come in. This place brought out the neanderthal in all of us.

"Well, if you want to fight Elesa, you'd better hop on."

"Holy crap, Clyde! How are you at every freaking gym?"

"Us mentors have our ways, Briar Casey," he grinned.

"You have taught me nothing. In fact, you kinda just freak me out. You do give us water, though, so I guess- wait, 'hop on'?"

"Of course!" my self-proclaimed mentor boomed. "Elesa is at the end of the roller coaster. So if you want to beat her, you'd better hurry up and get in a car."

"Oh, come on!" Cilan said excitedly. "My brothers and I have been on this before. It's almost as fun as making creme brulee!"

"Awesome," I muttered. "The amount of fun this is is equivalent to that of cooking a French dessert."

"Dude, what did I tell you about making food analogies all the time?" Earl scolded. It was true. I had heard a lot of "delicious"'s being used in places that the word really wasn't meant to be used when I first met Cilan, but since he started hanging out with Earl the number had decreased dramatically.

"How many times do we have to tell you how lame your fake names are until you realize that none of them are any better than Earl?" Cilan countered.

"How about we stop fighting and get in the stinking roller coaster?" Dina desperately pleaded.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Fine!" The two thankfully ended their mini war there and we all were crowded into the car. Maybe it was that all the light and noise was making me somehow feel claustrophobic or the fact that I'm taller than most Unovians, but I found myself very cramped.

"Hey Dina," I joked, "you sure you're tall enough to ride this?"

"Shut up," she muttered, sinking comfortably down into the seat. "I'm two months older than you."

"Yeah, but it doesn't exactly show." The car began to move with a violent jerk, and my head slammed into a bar that you were supposed to grab. For the entire ride, through all the hills and loops, I was seeing stars and had an increasing headache. I felt like I was going to pass out as I stepped out of the car and in front of Elesa. It appears that Arceus doesn't like people messing with Dina Baldridge.

"I see what you did there, you conniving model you," I accused, probably sounding slightly drunk with my dizzy voice. "Making your opponents ride that... _thing_... so they're disoriented when they battle. Clever. Very clever."

"Please excuse her," Dina apologized. "She's paranoid, insane, and is always acting like she just woke up."

"It's alright," Elesa assured. "I noticed that the roller coaster left some opponents dazed, but I haven't exactly jumped to fix it." She winked, and I think I heard the boys' hearts go _ba-dump_. "Don't tell anyone."

"Oh ho ho, I'm not fighting her first," I stated. "Cheren, go."

"My name isn't Cheren," Earl corrected, singing a very different tune now that there was a pretty girl in front of him. So was the first time that I truly saw Earl Baldridge fight. I admit, it was quite climatic, and I got to see her strategy. She had three Pokemon, as I discovered: two Emolga (Earl was lucky that Cilan and I were there to tell him, or I think his brain would've exploded from all the switching) and a Zebstrika. She would have the Emolga use Volt Switch, which allowed them to attack before switching out, and used the Zebstrika when they fainted. Thing was, Emolga are immune to Ground-type attacks since they are Flying-type, so they have next to no weaknesses.

With them, almost all of Earl's Pokemon had weaknesses. Embroar was weak to Flying-type attacks, Rufflet was weak to Electric-type attacks, and Simisage (where the heck did he get a Leafstone?) was weak to Flying-attacks. So he sent out his Pulpitoad (it kind of reminded me of an ugly blue mushroom with eggs on its face) and, since it was Ground- and Water-type, it was immune to Electric attacks. He was able to wear them down with Water and Normal moves, and he used Ground moves to easily wipe out the Zebstrika. So yes, I was impressed.

"Do I have to fight all of you?" Elesa asked as she sent one of her assistants to heal her Pokemon.

"I need revenge for being forced onto that thing," I told her menacingly as I pointed to the roller coaster.

"I would like to battle, but I don't really expect to win," Dina stated.

"Oh, don't be so negative, dear. I'm sure you'll figure something out." I couldn't help but notice that everyone called Dina "dear". Why didn't anyone call me dear? Was I not "dear" material or something? Before I could go on a rant about what people called me, the assistant returned with Elesa's Pokemon. With new vigor I agreed to fight her.

I did not have the advantage of owning Pokemon that were Ground-type and therefore immune to her Electric attacks. In fact, I was in a similar situation as Earl type wise. Forget and Ming were weak against Flying, and Tea was weak against Electric. It wasn't until I threw Seary's Poke Ball that I realized just how much I'd been using her lately. And it wasn't until later that I realized how much I'd come to depend on her.

The fight against the Emolga wasn't very interesting. It was basically a bunch of Flame Bursts until finally they fainted and I'd used a bit more Super Potions than I would've liked. It was the battle with the Zebstrika that was interesting.

Emolga are little flying squirrel thing with big black ears, white bodies, and yellow wings. They are some of the most annoying things in all of Unova to fight because they have almost no weaknesses, and it was a lot more irritating when they were constantly being switched out by the clever trainer with a hot bod. Zebstrika are black zebras with lightning-shaped white stripes and bright blue eyes. And it's pretty intimidating. Seeing as the thing looked pretty fast and ready to stomp Seary's face in (though I doubt a certain Pansage that was always watching over her would let that happen), I made a smart move when I struck first.

"Seary, use Yawn!" I couldn't help but think that Graciela had been right when she told me that yawns were contagious. She would always yawn first, then watch to see if I'd do it too. I never did, I was always able to keep it down until she wasn't looking. But now, watching my little fire monkey yawn and visibly seeing the Zebstrika grow wearier, I couldn't help but tell Gracie in Heaven that she was very right.

"Zebstrika, use Stomp!" Elesa ordered, seeing how I played this game. Zebstrika rushed towards Seary, and my flashy monkey decided to dodge in the fanciest way possible. Unfortunately, she was not as nimble as Tea. Seary fell over, and Zebstrika siezed the oppurtunity to stomp the crap out of her. I could hear a faint screech from somewhere near the entrance, and I could tell that Sage knew this was happening and was not happy.

"Get out of there!" I screamed, not wanting her to be brained. Seary waited a second and then rolled out from underneath him, looking pretty beaten up. Zebstrika, meanwhile, was looking even more droopy-eyed than before and seemed to be fighting to stay awake. "Use Flame Burst!" Seary mouth became a gun as she shot bullets of fire onto Zebstrika, and to my relief, the heat was enough to drive this sleepy zebra over the edge and he slumped over, asleep. Seary continued to shoot fire, and it really looked as if he was going to faint... and then he woke up.

"Zebstrika, Spark!" Elesa commanded desperately. Zebstrika balanced himself and quickly sent a jolt of electricity Seary's way, which pounded her in the stomach and quickly spread throughout her body. Everyone was still as we waited to see what would happen, since Seary was still and didn't seem inclined to get up. Just as I was about to call her back, however, she lifted her head, the same fire in her eyes that I had seen against Leavanny at Burgh's. Suddenly, she was above Zebstrika, and fire was streaming from her mouth in more torrents than should have been in her in the first place. Zebstrika fell and I had won. I quickly returned an exhausted Seary and, once more, Elesa sent her Pokemon off to be healed for one more battle.

"So you really know about the whole disorienting thing?" I asked as Elesa picked up the badge.

"It certainly didn't escape my observant eyes," she replied mischeviously, holding the piece of metal out to me. I took it, grinning.

"You really are conniving. I like it." Soon after that, Elesa's assistant returned with her Pokemon, and Dina prepared to battle. I still had yet to be called dear.

Spoiler alert: Dina _did _win. We all agreed it was by quite a bit of luck, and she used a lot of strategy that I'd used with Seary with her Simisear (her's evolved, too?), but she won. She now had five Pokemon, it seemed: Dewott (evolved), Herdier (evolved), Simisear, Munna, and a Liligant (it had been a Petilil, but I didn't know it then.) She had more Pokemon available to her, and she ended up using them all. She managed to defeat the two Emolga with Herdier, though he fainted along with them near the end. After that, she used her Simisear and used a lot of the same tricks I did. The difference was that he wasn't Seary, and in the end didn't make it with the Zebstrika. Finally, she sent out Munna, who (thank Arceus) was known for her defense. She used a couple of Psybeams and such, doing pretty good damage, but also taking a lot. Then, out of sheer luck, the Zebstrika _tripped. _Munna must've felt empowered or enlightened or whatever, because her last Psybeam was totally AWESOME. Like, seriously, you would not have wanted to get in the way of that thing.

"Wait, I _won_?" Dina asked, completely baffled. "But... But I... I _never _win on my first try! Ever! This is... I mean... Munna, come here, you!" Munna flew into Dina's arms, and we were all congratulating her on her win when Elesa came up, clapping and looking ecstatic (get it? Static?)

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed, giving us all a hug (the boys definitley engjoyed it more than us.) "It's been ages since I've had that much fun battling!"

"Yeah, we get that a lot," I replied, thinking back to every gym leader we'd fought so far. "Cilan here had so much fun that he abandoned his family to live the party."

"I didn't abandon my family."

"You keep telling yourself that." At that moment, my Xtransceiver (I forgot I even had this) rang. It was a frantic Jazelle, saying that she'd accidentally punched N in the throat and he was in the hospital now due to shock. As opposed to asking why she was with N and not on the park bench like she'd said and also how her punching him could be an accident, I said goodbye to Elesa and told her that we needed to visit a friend in the hospital. She, in turn, told us that she'd tell Clay, the next gym leader, to lower his drawbridge and let us into Driftveil City.

When we arrived, Jazelle and N seemed to be in an argument about who had "won". When Cilan bravely went in and told her that we were leaving and asked if she would come, she replied that she would like to stay with N until he got better.

"I'll stay here with them," he told us. "Arceus knows they'll go to the Sports Stadium and have a to-the-death game of tennis when this is over, unless someone stops them."

"Oh, what is that I hear?" N said, surprisingly loud. "Oh, that's right, it's a bunch of jocks killing you after pulled that lame stink bomb prank."

"Oh! Team Plasma burn!" We all laughed, Cilan blushed, N coughed and nearly went into shock again, and it was overall a good afternoon. And I'm glad it was then, because things were about to get a whole lot more serious.

**Author's Note: Yes! Finally! This dreaded chapter is finished and I can get onto the next plot-twisty chapter! Thank the Lord!**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	16. The Refusal

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Turning point chapter! I'm really angsty and just watched **_**Les Miserables**_** (which is awesome, by the way), and this chapter is angsty and sad, so it's perfect!**

**(That sucked. Please forgive my sucky self for sucking at making this suck-filled author's note made of suckulantly sucky suck. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... six times in one sentence. Pretty good.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 14

The Refusal

Route 5 had skies that looked the ocean and dewy grass that shimmered like gold. We had headed to the gym early that morning (much to everyone's irritation except for Cilan and Dina's), and it was still fairly early now. It was peaceful and seemed completely detached from the city, unlike the route Zoroark was on. There were hikers hidden in the grass beyond the trees, and performers dotted the main road. Fortunately, all the grunts from Jazelle's escapade were gone. We took our time getting to the bridge on the horizon; the performers didn't want to fight us, and there were normal people watching them that we could easily talk to. All of them seemed especially surprised that we'd beaten Elesa on our first try; apparently, she was one of the hardest gym leaders. Even modest Dina couldn't stop beaming.

After watching the clowns, musicians, artists, and dancers (Dari, Matt, and something other than Lance were there!), we headed towards the Driftveil Drawbridge, which I'd heard was the pride of the city. As we neared it, I saw that it was kind of rusted and had a thin layer of bird turd over the surface. But that's just me, the bitter Kantonian, who also happens to be observant.

"Thanks, Clay. I'll find the- oh, here they are. Bye!" Elesa hung up the little phone on a desk by the bridge and walked up to us. "Good news! Not only has Clay already accepted your challenges, but he seems in a good mood! I'm not sure why, Arceus knows the man's rarely ever happy." We all said our goodbyes and she bid us good luck, then we began our journey across the impossibly long bridge to Driftveil. It wasn't bigger than Skyarrow, by any means. But when you crossed Skyarrow, you got to look at the cars underneath you and admire Castelia's skyline in the distance. On the Driftveil Drawbridge, however, there wasn't any views except for the jagged, unattractive cliffs ahead and you were constantly worrying about whether a Ducklett would crap on you or not. Earl got pooped on once. It was funny.

And it was funny after that, until a stout cowboy greeted us while looking as if our slow, gory deaths would bring him a lot of pleasure.

"Um... hi?" I greeted timidly, for even I was afraid of this man.

"You them challengers Elesa sent over to battle me?" he sneered. We all nodded fearfully. "Well, it's thanks to you that that dang Team Plasma got away!" All of us jumped at the sound of Clay's booming voice, but at the same time, I grew curious. As far as I knew, N was still in the hospital in Nimbasa. What was Team Plasma up to here?

"Team Plasma?" I asked, curiously and fearfully at the same time. "Where are they now?"

"Well, if I knew, I'd be out there looking for 'em instead of sitting here yapping at you, wouldn't I?" Clay boomed once more. "While I was lifting up that drawbridge, they slipped away from right underneath my nose! An' now, ya'll better find them to pay me back!"

"Wait, hold up!" Earl countered, not pleased that he was being told what to do. "How is it _our_ fault? We're just trainers wanting to battle you!"

"You deaf, boy? I just gave ya'll all the logic you need, and you ain't talkig back, ya hear? Now go find 'em!"

This is not the refusal mentioned in the title.

"Y-yes, sir!" I stammered, grabbing the twins by their wrists. "Come on, guys. This isn't the worst he could do. They couldn't have gotten far."

At the start of Route 6...

"This would be the logical direction for them to go," I explained. "After all, I can't understand them wanting to be in any area where Clay can reach out and strangle them."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Earl demanded, dashing ahead. "Let's go!" Dina and I scrambled to catch up to the excited boy, who seemed intent on tearing through all the grass in his not-so-thorough search. Finally, though, we stopped in front of a house. Earl put a finger to his lips, then began to creep towards the window. Not knowing what else to do, we followed. Dina and I joined Earl at the window, and cautiously peered in. There were no grunts, only Fennel-lookalikes, which scared us even more.

"What are you doing?"

"AHH!" all of us screamed, turning to see who we were talking to. It was a female scientist, a sane-looking Fennel.

"I repeat: what are you doing looking into our laboratory?"

"We were... um... checking to see if you were grunts?" I replied, cautiously. All this caution was out of character. I didn't like it.

"Grunts?" the scientist questioned. "As in, Team Plasma grunts? Well, I can assure you, they have not gone this way. We would've noticed."

"Oh," Dina concluded sadly. "So... what do you do here?"

"We study Deerling," she answered. "You see, they change depending on what season it is. Oh, look, there's a Spring one now." All of us turned to look at a pink deer thing, which looked really stupid in my opinion. "It's Normal- and- Grass-type." Wait, what? That's an awesome combination! Hmm...

Then, we heard a splashing. All of us turned to face the river that flowed through the area. What looked like a small green dinosaur was skipping across the rocks to this side.

"Oh, not him again," the scientist moaned.

"What is it?" Earl asked eagerly, obviously thinking the same thoughts I was.

"I call dibs."

"I call- dang it! Fine. What is it, though, Miss Scientist Lady?" Looking more than a little annoyed at being called "Scientist Lady", she explained.

"It's an Axew," she informed. "Dragon-type, very strong when they evolve. They live on the other side of the river, in Mistralton Cave. There, they usually keep to themselves. This little one, however, has been coming out of the cave for months now, and eventually learned how to jump over here on the stones. We call him Dexter here at the lab."

"No way!" I exclaimed as the Axew shakily crossed onto land. "As in, the Pokedex in Kanto?"

"Not really," the scientist replied sheepishly. "It just had an x in it. But I'll say that from now on."

"Can I catch him?"

"I don't see why not. He's wild, and all of us are worried that he'll fall in the water if he continues going about like this."

"Awes-" But before I could finish the word in a non-sarcastic form, I felt something slam into my leg. I fell to the ground, and Forget and Sage (he's been quite the ninja lately) pulled the Axew back.

"I'm not sure if that means he likes you or not," Dina commented. This, in turn, made the Axew look her way. And you know as well as I do what happens when Pokemon see Dina.

"Dang it, Dina, why do you always do that?" I demanded as I got up. Dexter, by now, was lovingly rubbing her leg and I realized he'd follow us anywhere.

"Well?" I questioned the little punk. He turned to me. "You just smash into me and now you're getting cozy with my best friend?"

"What?" Earl exclaimed. Dexter looked extremely guilty, and trotted up to me and plopped down right in front of my booted feet. Forget plopped down next to him, and Sage was being angsty and leaned against a tree.

"Oh my- dang it, why are you so cute? Wanna travel?" Dexter looked up at me, his big eyes sparkling. I smiled, pulled out a Poke Ball, and dropped it on his head. It jiggled for a second, then did the clicking sound that signfied I'd caught him. I realeased Dexter, who looked excited to with us. "I've done the impossible. I've taken a Pokemon from Dina."

"Well, Briar, I _always _respect the dibs," she laughed.

"True, true." I found myself looking at Forget. "Hey, shouldn't you have evolved or something?" She gave me a look that said _Shouldn't _you _have evolved or something?_

At Cold Storage...

"The cold sucks."

"Of course it sucks, Briar. No one likes the cold."

"This is just another reason to hate my life."

"Oh, will you stop acting like you have PMS long enough to kick Team Plasma out?" Sighing loudly, I followed Dina and Earl into the oversized freezer in search of the cultist knights. All our Pokemon were returned to their Poke Balls to spare them from the cold, and we had to slide on the ice to get around. For some reason, _Earl _was the best skater.

"This calls for a-"

"If you say new name, I swear on Gracie's grave that I will freeze every drop of moisture in your eyeballs."

"Okay, okay, chill."

"Hey, guys," Dina called, trying her best to balance on the slippery ice. She pointed to a container, it's lid hanging open, large enough to carry at least forty grunts. We all nodded and stealthily skated to the dark opening.

"Briar Casey, I presume?"

"HOLY CRAP!" One of the sages leaned on an icy crate, looking as cool as a cucumber (heh heh.)

"And two of the people that travel with you. Yes, Lord N has told us sages a lot about you."

"I bet it's all awesome."

"Forgive me if I'm not shaking in my boots." A new thought occured to me.

"Hey, have you seen N lately?"

"No, Ghetsis hasn't seen him since his blatant show of disrespect in Nimbasa. Why? Do you know?" Should I? Ghetsis might be worried. Ghetsis worried, that's an amusing thought... But he _is _his dad. I think.

"Nope." Naw... I'll let them figure it out.

"Anyway, I assume you would like to battle us."

"Or you could just give yourselves up to Clay right now. But I totally understand if you don't want to do that. I certainly wouldn't."

"You are correct. We do not want to turn ourselves in. So you can take on Sage Zinzolin and his grunts, if that is what you wish!" Grunts quickly obscured our view of Zinzolin, which I didn't really have a problem with. I decided to see what Dexter could do now, since the amount of grunts wasn't much when divided amongst three people. I grabbed what I believed to be the right Poke Ball... and Seary came out. I was beginning to feel like I was neglecting my other Pokemon, but the Pokemon the grunt sent out was a Trubbish (a Poison-type that looked like a garbage bag with eyes), and decided to just go ahead and battle with her.

The battles went on like this for awhile, short, mindless, and monotonous. I never really called Seary back; it honestly never really occured to me. I focused more of my energy on the gradual shrinking of Zinzolin's smug grin. Eventually, I was on my last battle, since I'd gotten more grunts than Earl and Dina and honestly didn't care. I was on the last Pokemon of the last grunt, another Trubbish, and he was pretty close to fainting. That's when the sage lost it.

"Seary," I ordered, emphasizing the boredom in my voice. "Use Flame Burst." Seary, also feeling rather smug, took her time letting her mouth heat up. In a second, that atmosphere was broken.

"KILL IT!" Zinzolin screamed, sending a shattering echo throughout the container and bouncing off the warehouse walls. And Trubbish, who only ever knew how to follow orders, jumped up and spit a sizzling, disgusting, deadly poison straight into my Pansear's mouth.

The fire stopped forming and collapsed unto itself. Seary froze, as did everyone else, acting as rigid as the temperature. Then, all her limbs turned to jelly and she toppled to the ground. Sage's earsplitting screech ripped through the warehouse, and it left all of our ears ringing. He jumped from the shadows and leaped over to Seary, whose eyes were going to the back of her head.

"What in the name of Arceus is goin' on here?" demanded Clay, who had just arrived. I later learned that Dina had secretly called him before we even started battling.

"SEARY!" I screamed, the very idea of what just happened crashing down on me. I slid across the ice, never slipping, and knelt on the cold ground next to her.

As I picked her up, I felt my fingers slipping through Gracie's smooth, graceful ones.

As I hugged her protectively to my chest, I closed my eyes and saw my best friend's fill with panic.

And as I ran to the Pokemon Center, not acknowledging anything around me, I could tell that I'd failed her.

_I failed you. _

_ I'm so sorry. _

_ I'm just a trainer. Trainers aren't gods. Trainers aren't heroes._

_ We're just human beings. And we can't even save our best friends when they die right in front of us._

_ I've failed you. _

_ I'm so, so sorry._

At the Pokemon Center...

I'm not quite sure how, but everyone was suddenly around me, and I was calmly sitting on the bench. According to the few words I caught from others, there was no news on Seary, but it wasn't looking good. It wasn't until Nurse Joy slowly walked up to us (us?) that I became focused.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "There was nothing we could do. That poison isn't generic, heal-with-a-potion poison, and her immune system was already less effective in that cold environment. I'm really very sorry. You can stay here as long as you like." The sound of scurrying through the doors signified Sage leaving. Dina wrapped her arms around me and began to silently cry, and Earl buried his head in his hands. I, on the other hand, remained stoic.

"Tha... Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"Just tell me if you need anything." And so I sat there, doing the same thing I did when Gracie died: I didn't cry. If I told you I did, I was lying. I didn't allow myself to shed a single tear for Graciela Pope. I couldn't. I couldn't save them, so I had absolutely no right to cry for them. Even if they're death left me feeling as if my already missing heart was turning into a deep abyss of sorrow. Even if my refusal caused me more pain than can be imagined.

"You know what Gracie would say right now, don't you?" I turned to Dina, who was desperately wiping her eyes.

"That Seary's now a star in the sky," I answered.

"And that you can go outside and talk to her, whenever you want." And, for a split second, I considered it. I considered strolling out into the darkness and asking Seary if she'd found Graciela yet. But then I remembered the eyes. Gracie's huge blue eyes, filled with panic. Seary's rolling to the back of her head. The emptiness in both of them; no confidence for Seary or curiosty for Gracie. Blankness, so consuming that it eats at everything they have left until they're nothing.

"Perhaps," I replied, suddenly feeling very, very tired. "But even the brightest stars blink out eventually." And, with that, I fell asleep, a slumber that consisted of dreams with panic-filled eyes and sizzling poisons that leave Sage screeching for his lover.

Later...

I woke up to a grunt standing next to me. Not a Team Plasma grunt, though. A Rocket one, a little bit of home. And, in his hands, were Kaling Roses, Kanto's regional flower.

"Giovanni sends his condolences," he told me, a tinge of sadness in his voice. And, as he left, I lay straight across the couch I'd been sleeping on and lay them on my chest. Now, at least for a while, I would be as dead as Graciela and Seary.

**Author's Note: And this is where the Hurt/Comfort part comes in. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	17. Chapter 15

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: I'm about to sound like a terrible person, but here goes:**

**YES! THANK THE LORD! THEY CRIED, I DIDN'T FAILLL!**

**Forgive me. I thought that I'd epically failed in making the last chapter sad, so news of your sadness actually brought me quite the opposite... Wow, that sounds even worse.**

**That's why Dodgerjoey and Agent Walrus' reviews are so awesome! Please don't stop reading because I take pleasure in your sadness, but it's good to know I can write sad stuff.**

**Oh, and AnonymousIsSleepy, in Chapter 10, Briar meets Giovanni at the very end. It's been awhile, and they haven't been very involved, so I can understand if you forgot. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 15

The Angsty Teenagers of Nuvema

The Kaling Rose's scent tickled my nose and woke me up, not even giving me a moment of relief from Seary's death. Earl and Dina, who as you know aren't morning people, were sprawled out on their couches, dead to the world. I had no idea where Sage was, but probably brooding somewhere, since he never seemed like the type to cry. I got up and walked over to the desk, not quite sure why. But through a window behind it I could see a white sheet pulled over a small shape, and suddenly I felt nauseous and ran out.

It was early, obviously, since the sun was just peeking out from behind Cold Storage. That led me to wonder if Clay had been able to apprehend Zinzolin and all those grunts, while wondering why all of us were freaking out. I decided, what the heck, I'll swing by the gym and see.

All this I did a sort of trance, as if there was something robotic inside of me that made the decisions and the normal, fleshy part was still numb and unbelieving.

I could faintly see a building that resembled a gym on top of a cliff, and absent-mindedly began my ascent. No one was at the top, and the entrance to the gym was bare. This wasn't exactly surprising, since it did appear to be pretty early in the morning. Still, though, I sat down on a bench near the door, waiting for nothing, still in a daze.

Something did happen, however, and I just watched absently, like I was seeing it but wasn't seeing it. Knights, wannabe knights, as far as the eye could see, heading straight for the gym. In response, Clay, a few cronies of his, and all the prisoners came out to greet them. No one took any notice of me.

"I believe you have some things that are mine." Ghetsis showed himself at the head of the throng of grunts, but Clay (unsurprisingly) wasn't intimidated.

"Well, that right there just shows ya'll what he thinks o' ya. Things, Mr. Fancy Robes? Is that how ya treat yer men?"

"You know what I mean," Ghetsis sneers. "Now, I have been able to avoid much conflict with gym leaders so far. I would not like to break that streak with you. Therefore, I am offering that you hand over my men, and in return there will be no consequences for your actions."

"Consequences?" Clay exclaimed. He marched right up to Ghetsis and the shorter man was nearly able to touch noses with him. "Now listen here, and listen well. Thanks to yer sage or whatever ya call 'em, a trainer's Pokemon is _dead_. Ya know that killin' a Pokemon is a capital offense! I expect yer man to pay for it!"

"Oh, so now it's _his _fault?" Ghetsis prodded icily. "I'm aware that a Pokemon has been killed. In fact, that Pokemon belongs to a trainer that has been getting on my nerves. But was it my man that injected the venom? No. If anyone is to pay, it should be the Trubbish that killed her. And what basis did you have to arrest my men in the first place? Do you have proof that Zinzolin and his men did anything in the first place? Oh, Clay, I could do so much to you for simply arresting them. But I won't, because I am in a merciful mood today and would like to spare us both the trouble. I'm just asking that you release them."

Clay was understandably dumbfounded, probably because he knew that Ghetsis had a point with every statement he said. Zinzolin leaned against the wall, looking smug, knowing he was getting away with murder. If it weren't for the fact that the robotic part of me was still in control, I probably would've soon been guilty of murder, too.

"You," Clay began, his accent almost disappearing, "all of you, are monsters. I wish that someone could poison all of you, too, because the world would be a better place."

"I'm taking that as a yes to my offer," Ghetsis laughed. "Alright, come on. We need to be going now." Zinzolin and the grunts pushed past a fuming Clay, who could only watch as the people he knew killed a Pokemon began to walk away from everything they'd done. The simple thought of this allowed my normal, angsty, angry self to take control again, and I found myself grabbing the first Poke Ball I grasped. It was Tea, who looked excited to fight. I'd been mainly fighting with Seary before, you know, she died.

"Tea," I commanded quietly, "use the best Water Gun ever on the dude in the robes. The older o- you know what, just do them both. Water Gun them both." Tea looked slightly confused that she was attacking people and not Pokemon, but didn't let the oppurtunity to fight pass her by. She did as I commanded; an impenetrable flood of water was unleashed on the sages, drenching not only them but the grunts around them as well. Looking at their shocked faces and ruined robes, I couldn't help but giggle with Tea. The giggles turned into fits of laughter as I saw them dance around a Razor Leaf, which was coming from a hidden force in a tree. It was nice to know that Sage hadn't killed himself. Tea and I laughed at their plights, since they had caused so many for me, but then Sage emerged from the trees. The look he gave me shut me up. It was a look that said: "Seary is dead. The best we can do for her is scratch and humiliate her killers. There's nothing to laugh about."

My robotic side kicked in again. I returned Tea and monotonously walked back to the Pokemon Center, where I fell asleep again.

* * *

><p>"Maybe we should wake her up."<p>

"Her Pokemon just died, Dina! Let the girl sleep!"

"I'm not sure it's healthy! I think I read somewhere that you shouldn't sleep too much when you're sad. It messes with your psyche or something."

"Where'd you read that? We haven't been away from Nuvema all that long, and you never read there."

"I don't know! Somewhere! And hey, where'd she get those flowers?"

"Crap, Dee, you woke her up!" Indeed, the twins' arguing over whether I should wake up or not had woken me up. I glanced at the floor by my bed, where the Kaling Roses lay, beginning to wilt a little already. I guess I was lucky they were so pretty when I got them, considering that they had probably come all the way from Kanto.

"They're for you," I replied, scooping them up and giving them to Dina. She took them, confused. "For your birthday." Her eyes widened, and she looked at Earl. "I was going to get you a book of baby names, Earl, but I've been a bit preoccupied and not able to go to the store."

"Crap, Dee, it's our birthday!" Earl exclaimed, taking off his hat and running his hands through his hair.

"Yep. Sorry if the death of my Pokemon put a damper on it."

"Well, this is a terrible time to turn fifteen!" Dina moaned.

"Hey, it's not like Seary was _yours_. I'd just be sad that we weren't still in Nimbasa right now, because it appears that the most exciting thing here is freezing to death."

"Wow, you're right, that does suck," Earl agreed. "But, since it's my birthday, I think this is a great time to change my name!"

"Normally I'd be in the process of slowly killing you for suggesting that, but I'll let it slide because of today."

"It has to be awesome, since it will probably end up being official," Earl continued, pacing now and rubbing his chin. Dina was tracing the petals of the flowers, most likely to sad for me to celebrate.

"Great," I lamented, seeing her state. "Now you're sad on your birthday because of me. Just another reason to hate my life."

"No no, Briar, don't blame yourself!" Dina exclaimed, flinging her hands in front of her and causing multiple petals to fall. "Look, maybe we should celebrate another day. I don't want to be too happy when I know you're sad."

"Wanna know what would make me sad, Dina? You not celebrating living for another year. Now, tell me what you would like to do."

"Well, I just don't-"

"Brecken!" Earl shouted. "Yeah. I like that. Brecken."

"While that's slightly better than some of your past names have been, you still sound like burnt breakfast. But I'll cater to your whims today and call you that, if you wish."

"Okay, yeah! Well, maybe... actually no. Don't do that."

"Good choice. Now, Dina, what were you saying? What is it you want?" Dina stared at the flowers for a moment, then sat down and began tracing their petals again.

"I want to be able to take on gym leaders and have dramatic battles and beat them on the first try, like you," she explained, not looking anyone in the eye. "I want to do what we set out to do when you broke us out, which is become powerful, and have some of the best Pokemon in Unova. I don't want to have to keep being seperated from you two since I can't beat the gym leaders as quickly as you can." A petal fell off. "For my birthday, I don't want to be weak anymore."

"Aw, Dina, you're not weak," I assured, suddenly in the uncomfortable situation of comforting her. "Don't you remember what those guys at the carnival outside of Nimbasa said? Elesa is one of the hardest gym leaders, and you beat _her _on your first try."

"Don't pretend like that was more than pure luck!" Dina exclaimed, tears begin to form in her eyes. Oh crap. Dina can't cry; the only time I've ever really felt like I would cry was when Dina cried!

"No no no!" I responded, wrapping my arm around her. "You're a good trainer, and you're not weak, and your wins are not pure luck. We'll all accomplish that dream we've had; we'll all be powerful trainers. Together." Dina sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"That's the thing, Briar," she replied, her voice nasally. "This is the first time since Striaton that we've all been together, just the three of us. I'm the reason it hasn't happened more."

"Oh, get over yourself!" Both of our heads snapped up and were shocked to see that it was Earl talking. Over-protective Earl. Self-destructive Earl. Self-_humiliating _Earl. "Don't you know there's more to Pokemon than power? Well, guess what, you're making me be cheesy. Being a trainer also has to do with your relationship with your Pokemon, how much they love you and how much you love them back. You may not have noticed, since you were fighting and stuff, but my Palpitoad- he used to be a Tympole, in case you were wondering- flat out _ignored_ me. Like, I told him to use Water Gun or something, and he just stood there. All you have to do is smile and Pokemon love you, Dee. I bet mine love you more than they love me!"

"That sounds believable," I smirked. The twins glared at me. "What? My Pokemon just died. Your problems are petty."

"I'm sure your Pokemon like you, Earl," Dina assured.

"Well, now it's my turn to be stubborn. No, Dee, they don't! This isn't the first time they've ignored me. The only one that really likes me is Rufflet. Four Pokemon, and only one likes me. That's pretty bad."

"You are both being ridiculous," I sighed, getting tired of their angst. I couldn't believe that put up with it with me. "Dina isn't weak and Earl is actually friendly, deep down. We're all okay. Even me."

"You are terrible at comforting people, Briar," Dina told me.

"Being nice isn't one of my strong suits, no."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" All three of us jumped about three feet in the air and turned to the door. Cilan and Jazelle were standing in the entrance, looking happier than the rest of us, which is ironic.

"See?" Jazelle chirped.

"We told you we'd remember," Cilan finished. We all simply stared, forgetting that they didn't know what had been happening.

"Now come, guys, you're fifteen now! Don't look like you just got out of an intervention," Jazelle scolded. "What do you want to do to celebrate?"

"I'm not in the mood," Earl responded, brooding in his own little corner.

"Is N okay?" Dina asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, he's fine. He left right after he got out, but Cilan and I stayed and rode the Ferris Wheel and stuff before coming," Jazelle explained. "I see that grin, Briar. I know what you're thinking."

"Do you _really _know what I'm thinking?"

"I'm probably _over_thinking it. And no."

"Wait, what did we not do?"

"Nothing, pastry boy. Seriously, though, you all look Patrats during a shortage of Youngsters. You should be happy!" Earl looked like he was ready to yell out that he wasn't in the mood again, but Dina spoke first.

"You're right, Jazelle. We should do something fun."

"Yay! Seriously, though, what's up with you?"

"Tomorrow," I put in quickly before anyone could get sad again. Tomorrow, when we could afford to be sad.

* * *

><p>Despite the birthday twins' desperate attempts to avoid it, a cooking demostration by Cilan was inevitable. I paid no attention; I was never a cooking person. But every time I saw him sautee something, every time fire engulfed everything but his flesh, I thought of Seary. I was thankful that Jazelle and Cilan weren't as naive as you would think from hanging out with them; if they had asked why I was so depressed, it wouldn't have been as great a day as it was. But then again, I guess I'm always a bit depressed, so maybe they didn't even notice.<p>

* * *

><p>The news was inevitable, however. We didn't wake up three cities farther, or with all our heads shaved; we were just in the Pokemon Center, with cans of soda scattered around us, and, miraculously, no angry nurses. Jazelle woke up first. She saw the cloth through the window. She asked Nurse Joy. I woke up and was staring at a depressed Jazelle.<p>

"Why didn't you tell me?"

* * *

><p>A nice hiker offered his and his Gurdurr's help digging a small grave, as well and assistance in lifting a rock that would substitute as a gravestone into place. There weren't many words. The most depressed of all of us was Sage, brooding in the back, probably wondering what to do now that the girl he set out to protect was dead. Looking at him, I felt pity. I wanted him to have purpose, since right now he seemed so lost.<p>

"Hey, Sage." The Pansage looked up at me, probably contemplating whether to kill me or not. "Catch." I quickly grabbed a green stone out of my bag and threw it to him. Not knowing what else to do, Sage caught it. A brilliant flash of light blinded the five of us for a moment, and when we looked again, he had evolved. He was now a Simisage, and he looked a heck of a lot more scary. "Found it on Route 6 when we were looking for Zinzolin. I dunno. Thought you might like that." His expression hadn't changed since he caught the stone. "I know you probably don't want to, but you can keep travelling with us, if you want." Still no change. "Alright. You can go brood in a corner, if that's what you want." This must've sounded pretty good, because in seconds, Seary's lover was gone.

"That may have been a bit harsh," Cilan remarked.

"He's not mine. But speaking of which..." I felt around the inside of my coat for my Poke Balls. I hadn't rearranged them since I'd sent out Seary that fateful day, and the empty slot was like a dagger through the heart. Feeling impulsive, I sent out all my remaining Pokemon: Forget, who I'd been neglecting, Tea, who I'd kinda always neglected, Ming, who was bouncing around because of how long she'd been in her Poke Ball, and Dexter, who was brand new and should've been in the grave instead of Seary.

"Sorry for basically forgetting you," I apologized. They all shuffled uncomfortably, as if to say it was okay but kinda not okay. "I swear, I'll use you evenly from now on. I... don't want do this again. I can't start using someone a lot and have them die to teach me a lesson." This was probably even more uncomfortable, but I seemed to be good at inducing discomfort. "So, yeah... sorry. Won't happen again." They all looked at each other, gathered into a little Pokemon huddle, and emerged forgiving me. Now I just had to forgive myself, which still has yet to happen.

**Author's Note: Avengers is cool. You should see it. Just saying.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	18. Chapter 16

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Geez, Prussia (she has now been changed from America to Prussia), at least wait until it's appropriate. (P.S. What was our final list of universal truths? Email or something please)**

**And Dodgerjoey, didn't I say you were- OH CRAP I HAVEN'T THANKED YOU IN ANY AUTHOR'S NOTES!... Oh, wait, there you are. Chapter 12, where I officially added you to my list of awesome people. But YAY BEING SUPER FAMOUS!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, and if I did, I'd be rich enough to try and genetically create them, meaning the apocolypse would've come by now. So unless the apocolypse comes, then NO, I don't own Pokemon.**

Chapter 16

The Cave That Defies Gravity

The day after the funeral, I woke up with a warm lump next to me. I sometimes let Seary and the rest of my Pokemon out of their Poke Balls to sleep with me at night, and Seary was right next to me and when I woke up, I was always warm. Therefore, I forgot that she was now in the ground, quite cold, and thought instead that she was sleeping next to me. Instead, it was all four of my current Pokemon cuddled up together, their combined body heat almost as hot as Seary's alone. I silently got up, and noticed for a split second how everyone looked when they slept: Dina was rather peaceful, Jazelle was occupying the maximum amount of space she could with her small shape, and Cilan and Earl were curled into the fetal position on the floor and snoring as loud as freight trains.

After a brief moment of reflecting on how weird my friends looked while sleeping, I remembered the day before. More specifically, I remembered Clay letting Zinzolin and the other grunts go, letting them get away with murder. I returned my Pokemon to their Poke Balls, walked to the gym and, as Clyde later told me, defeated every trainer and then the gym leader in the same sort of robotic trance I was in yesterday.

Except this time, I was angrier.

I didn't even take the fresh water.

* * *

><p>Somehow, I got back to the Pokemon Center and fell asleep again. All my Pokemon curled up around me once more, none of them even hurt enough to be healed by Nurse Joy (man, I need to battle in angry trances more often!) Obviously, my friends no longer pitied me enough to argue about waking me up (and in the process wake me up), because this time Dina simply leaned into my ear and yelled:<p>

"Briar! We need to battle Clay so we can leave!"

"What the crap?" I yelled back, surprised that she was the one to wake me up in such a crude manner. Then I realized that she must've been woken up the same way, and therefore was as grumpy as I usually am.

"We need to battle the gym leader and leave, so stop laying there and get up!" Earl responded. Looking at the looks of twisted pride on Cilan and Jazelle's faces, I could tell that they were the ones who made the mistake on waking the twins up. And in return, me.

"I battled him this morning while all of you were snoring so loud that you could've woken up Driftveil!" I told them, rolling over. "No go away and let me sleep!" My Pokemon, who must've woken up in the commotion, piped up in their various cries of agreement before going back to sleep as well. Knowing that I'd won this battle, like Clay's, they all left grumbling at my ability to sleep in and it was my turn to wear the expression of twisted pride.

* * *

><p>I guess it's because Earl only had one Grass-type, and Dina was Dina, but it was taking forever for them to beat Clay. I woke up and waited for a while, wondering why they couldn't go into battle-crazy trances like me. Finally, after all four of my Pokemon had woken up and I was thoroughly sick of waiting, I wrote them a quick note saying I was going ahead and to meet me in the next town over, Mistralton. I was about to return everyone to their Poke Balls, but eventually they looked they were some sort of flash mob while trying to avoid the beams.<p>

"Alright, alright, I get it!" I exclaimed. "What do you all want to do, though? Walk beside me?" Forget, who'd been doing that for a while anyway, seemed content with that idea. Ming scanned my jacket, locked onto her target, and launched herself into one of it's many pockets. It was just big enought for the small Pokemon, and she easily became comfortable. Tea jumped onto my shoulder and, after a moment of it seeming like everyone would topple over, was able to settle. Dexter looked up at me with big, longing eyes, which shifted from my arms to my face.

"You want me to _carry_ you?" I questioned. He nodded. "What's wrong with your legs?" Dexter cluthed his foot, wearing a face of woe and crying like it was broken, even if it wasn't a second ago. "Oh, so I caught an actor, did I?" Dexter looked up at me once more, still clutching his foot. "Oh, fine." I scooped the little guy up, thinking about how colorful all my Pokemon were, and set out through Route 6.

Nothing was really new, and I tried to avoid all trainers while keeping my arms from cramping up after holding Dexter. He looked across the river, probably towards whatever cave he came from, but didn't seem reluctant to leave it behind. I said hi to the scientists, who looked happy that he had a home now and wasn't in danger of drowning daily, and followed their directions towards Chargestone Cave. I, no joke, spent about an hour dodging trainers in the Pokemon-infested grass as I tried to get to the bridge that lead to the cave. And get this: I had to fight a guy who decided that he was the all-powerful guardian of the bridge or something, so basically all my efforts to not battle someone was wasted. I beat him in a few minutes, angry that I was forced to battle at all.

But, ho ho, it gets worse. There was a giant yellow spider web that nearly electrocuted Dexter blocking the entrance to the cave.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I yelled. "Just another reason to hate my life!" All my Pokemon tried to sooth me (except Dexter, who was only trying to sooth the pain in his hand), but I was feeling extra-agsty after being so forcefully woken up and refused to be calmed. I kinda just went over to a rock and sulked for a minute, my bad mood rubbing off on my Pokemon and putting them in one, too.

"Well, it looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Thinking about how much this sounded like Dina, I was about to yell at her before looking up. It wasn't Dina at all. It was a large, muscular man with wild red hair and a familiar grin.

"What do you want, Human Torch?" I prodded, not in the mood for being polite.

"Well, that's hardly how you treat the Champion of Unova." Whoa, say what now?

"Huh?"

"Alder Sebring, Champion of Unova," Alder offically introduced as he held out his hand. I took it, and when we stood next ot each other, I noticed how much taller he was than even me. "Haven't battled for a while, though. I'd imagine I'm a little rusty."

"So, you could, like, crush any trainer you wanted to?" I questioned.

"Highly likely, not to sound arrogant," he replied, putting his hands behind his head. "There's one person, though, that I never could beat..."

"Who's that?" I asked eagerly. Alder analyzed me, debated whether it'd be a good idea to tell me or not, and decided against it.

"Battle them and trust me, you'll know," he replied with a laugh. Thanks for being helpful, Mr. Champion-on-fire.

"Well, can you and your champion-ness clear out this weird yellow spider web thing?" I asked.

"That's actually why I'm here," he replied. "I got a call from Clay to take care of it. He's in the middle of battling a couple of trainers and couldn't do it himself." I wondered how much longer Dina and Earl would hold him up. "Anyway, one of his trainers lent me their Krokorok, so lets try this..." Alder released a brown, alligator-like Pokemon that I vaguely recalled Clay having. "Um... can you claw at it or something?"

"I applaud you, Champion, on your eloquence with Pokemon," I laughed, clapping slowly. Dexter began to do so as well, then was rudely reminded that his hand was burnt.

"Eloquence and efficiency don't necessarily go hand in hand," Alder answered as the Krokorok ripped the spider web to shreds.

"I won't argue with that," I murmured. "Well, thanks man. I need to get to Mistralton, so I guess I'll see you when I battle you."

"I'm looking forward to it, uh..."

"Briar Casey," I told him stoically.

"Oh, is that Kantonian?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah..."

"My wife was Kantonian," he said, a dreamy smile on his face.

"Oh, that's nice." What was I supposed to say to that?

"Well, Briar Casey, I look forward to battling you." With that, the champion with the firey head was gone.

"Redheads," I murmured when he was gone, "what can you do with them?" With that, I finally got down to business and entered the cave.

I won't be my normal bitter self and lie to you. The cave was beautiful. All the stones seemed to be made of sapphire, and- get this- some were _floating_. I'm not screwing with you, rocks bigger than me were _floating_. I mean, that doesn't even make any sense! I later heard that it had something to do with static electricty or that kind of crap, but I still don't get it, they're freaking _rocks_, they can't just flo-

"HOLY SH-"

"Shh."

"Don't you shush me, freaky dark person that just grabbed me!" I yelled back. None to happy at being grabbed by the aforementioned dark guy, I stomped at what I suspected may be the dude's foot, but he dodged out of the way so quickly that I still wonder if what I saw was actually a body part.

"Come."

"What-" With that abundance of sentence fragments, my favorite person that I couldn't see dragged about three feet where I saw... N. Awesome.

"What the he-"

"Hello, Briar," N greeted, sounding as if he was conflicted on his own conviction. "Let her go." It was then that I discovered there was not one dark guy that seemed inclined to drag me to a place I could've gotten to in two steps, but three. Just another reason to hate my life.

"Yeah, perverts, back off," I snarled. I was satisfied that that was what I left them with as they disappeared.

"Sorry," N apologized. "That's the Shadow Triad. Ghetsis just hired them, and I couldn't help but show off a lit-" I didn't let him finish his sentence. First, his surprisingly attractive face was covered up by my not-so-attractive fist. "Ack! Arceus, Briar, what was that for- actually, I imagine I did something to deserve it." I continued to look at him blankly, knowing that he was correct in his assumption that he did something wrong but wondering if he knew how right he really was. "Was it the Shadow Triad? Man, you could've just walked over here, I'm sorry. Ghetsis was right, pride's the downfall of-" Once again, I cut N off with a face full of fist. "What the- alright, what did I do?"

"You killed Seary, you green-headed idiot!" I bellowed. And, man, did that shut him up!

"Your... your Pansear?" N stammered. "But... isn't she with..." N looked at the Pokemon surrounding me and counted them off. Forget... Tea... Ming... Dexter... "What h-happened?"

"Why don't you ask Zinzolin?" I responded, my words dripping with venom and my head down. "After all, he got away with murder."

"Zinzolin...?" N understandably was having a hard time grasping the fact that one of his beloved sages murdered one of his only friend's Pokemon.

"Yeah," I murmured. "He really grows on you, doesn't he?"

"But-"

"Not everything has so many freaking 'buts', N!" I screamed, ready to hit him again. "I was about to beat Zinzolin. He didn't want that to happen to he ordered the Pokemon to kill her. Seriously, he said 'KILL HER!' And now she's dead. And he worked for you." N just stood there, absorbing all that I'd told him.

"He... Zinzolin..."

"What's with all the elipses, man?" I continued, still screaming. "Don't you realize that your precious organization is evil? That the same people that claim to be working towards what's best for Pokemon killed one?" N continued to stand there like an idiot, then finally decided to move by turning his head.

"I never did like him much." I was about to punch him again, but my body just felt too tired to abuse him any longer. Instead, I slumped against the wall and covered my face with my hands.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice muffled. "Old guys in fancy robes don't exactly turn you on." N released the breath that I imagined he'd been holding for a while, as a way of finally showing his understanding for my unhappiness.

"I'm sorry, Briar," he apologized once more. "I don't know what would provoke him to act that way, and quite honestly I don't know how I'll go about dealing with it, but... I'll see what I can do."

"You better see what you can do," I muttered spitefully. "Unless freaking kings don't get any credit anymore."

"Meet me at the end of the cave, okay?" he requested.

"Why? Is our love forbidden?"

"Arceus, Briar, will you drop that! Oh, but, uh, speaking of that..." N cautiously reached into his belt to pull out a Poke Ball, and I was pretty ready to pull out mine as well if he meant to battle, but instead he tossed it to me.

"Can I make a reference to your undying love for me _now_?"

"No. That's for Dina. Give it to her next time you see her, and tell her it's from me, okay?"

"Oh, a birthday present?" I prodded, sounding as uninterested as possible.

"Birthday? Uh, yeah, a birthday present."

"Okay," I answered, drawing it out to show that I didn't believe him.

"Yeah, so... bye." With that, he bolted across the cave and disappeared around a corner. Darn. He wouldn't even let me _begin _to tease him.

"Well guys," I said to my Pokemon, "now it's just us, I SWEET ARCEUS THAT THING'S CUTE!" In front of me was a little yellow spider looking up at me with big, electric blue eyes. I've already told you people I have a weakness for cute things (don't make fun of me.) Seriously, though, this thing made me nearly faint from it's overcoming, _sickening _abundance of pure, raw cuteness. "Must... have... cute spider Pokemon... POKEDEX!" I actually had hardly touched the little device that Juniper had given me, which is why I was so surprised at how many entries there were. Guess you just had to come in contact with them. Sweet.

Anyway, I discovered that this Pokemon was called a Joltik, and it evolved into Galvantula, the same son of a Bulbasaur that decided to be selfish and keep Chargestone all to himself. I was willing to forgive that, though, considering the cuteness of the Pokemon standing in front of me.

"Okay, um... Dexter! Go!" Dexter hopped out of my arms, attempting to pull a Ming and flip around a couple of times, but failed epically and fell on his face instead. "Arceus, and I thought the one with the wood was a show-off! Alright, what moves to do you know?" Not wanting to keep his audience waiting, Dexter lifted his hand dramatically into the air and watched as it began to glow. "What is that? Dragon Claw? You have to be more specific, man, there are about as many claw attacks as there are complaints I have about Unova. Oh, just use it!" Dexter obeyed and went at the Joltik with astonishing speed, considering his fat little legs. I turned away, not wanting to his cuteness marred.

That moment never came. When I looked again, Dexter was tangled in a yellow web, just like the one I'd seen with Alder. Awesome.

"That's one of Joltik's signature moves."

"HOLY-"

"Briar."

"Sorry, Dina. Hey, Juniper, when'd you get here?"

"I arrived not to long ago, right as Dina finished her battle with Clay," the only female professor replied. Those Ivy League sexists.

"Oh. Well hey."

"Hello. Oh, and you might want to order your Pokemon to move, he's slowly being shocked to death right now." I turned frantically, and sure enough, Dexter looked a lot weaker and was vibrating slightly.

"Sweet Arceus, get out of there, boy!" I ordered. Dexter, who looked as if he had been ready to follow that order for a while now ( which he probably had), used Dragon Claw (or whatever claw it was) again, this time on the web. It was easily destroyed, especially after my Axew began ripping at the remains on the ground, as if to say "I AM DEXTER AND YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!" Then, just to prove his point, Dexter went at the little Joltik with his same attack, and this time it hit. I fumbled with my bag and grabbed my last Poke Ball, then threw it. Just as I had hoped it would, it jiggled a few times before I got the coveted "click".

"Release him, Briar, and we can name him together!" Dina ordered excitedly. I did as she said, and Joltik began to scurry around my feet. Forget didn't seem to happy with the new guy, though, for stealing her thunder.

"Alright. Shoot."

"Well, we can safely disqualify all of Earl's 'nicknames'..."

"You got that right!"

"I don't know, how did you and Gracie name Forget?" Dina asked. My face crinkled up at the memory.

"I asked her what her favorite flower was," I explained. "She said it was Forget-Me-Nots. Mainly for the name, the irony."

"Oh, well I don't know," Dina confessed. "Can you think of anything, Professor?"

"I'd always called my Pokemon by whatever Pokemon they were," Professor Juniper said. "I was never very good with names."

"How about Fenris?" I asked. Joltik stopped scurrying and looked up at me, and I couldn't decide if it was a "I like it" look or a "Name me that and I'll wrap you up in my electrocuting web until you die a slow and painful death" look. Man, for a cute little guy, he had some dark thoughts.

"Fenris?" Dina repeated. "It's nice, but... why?"

"Because I like the name Fenris!" I exclaimed. "Arceus, Dina, do I have to have a reason for _everything_?"

"No no," she replied quickly, throwing her hands up defensively. "You're fine. Fenris is fine."

"Yeah," I muttered, trying to recall all the muttering I'd done that day. "It is." With that, I scooped up Dexter and wondered if Fenris (like it or not, Spidey, that's your name now) would rather stay in his Poke Ball or on me. He answered the question himself; he scurried up my body in the way that tickled me most before settling on the shoulder opposite Tea. My Panpour, who had been enjoying the luxury of switching shoulders whenever she felt the need, looked less than happy with his choice of temporary real estate.

"How cute!" Dina laughed. "I commend you on your job so far of including all your Pokemon, Briar."

"Thank you, I'll be here all week," I replied, draining all emotion from the traditionally excited phrase. Careful now that my shoulders had to be in perfect balance, I attempted to attach Fenris' Poke Ball to my belt. But there was something blocking it. It was a certain Poke Ball given to me by a certain green-haired king. "Oh, Dina, N says 'happy birthday'." I threw the Poke Ball her way, and she caught it cautiously.

"What's with the quotation marks?"

"Because I like quotation marks! Arceus, Dina, do I have-"

"No, no you don't! Geez, Briar..." As she fiddled around with it (the Poke Ball was brand new), I suddenly remembered the first time I met Jazelle. I remembered when she saw the Dream Dust or whatever, and was so desperate to get it that she used a Poke Ball as a container for it. N, if you're playing any sort of joke on Dina, I swear your face is gonna be so messed up by the time I see you... maybe I'm the overprotective one.

While I was mentally threatenting N, Dina decided that it was safe to open the Poke Ball. Out of it came a small, scared-looking black Pokemon, with two big red eyes and three arms extending from it's floating stick body. In one of it's arms, it carried a gold mask, which it promptly put over it's face.

"How interesting!" Juniper noted.

"What is it?" I asked, kind of happy that N didn't give it to me for my "birthday".

"It's a Yamask," Juniper explained. "They're found in Relic Castle, in the Desert Resort. Your friend must've gone there for some reason and caught it. Is he interested in archaeology, per chance?"

"No," I answered. But I had a feeling that I knew the organzation that was...

By now, the Yamask had put down it's golden mask thing long enough to see Dina's face and fall in love. It floated over to her without a bit of caution and nuzzled up against her chest. Dina, who was undaunted by any sort of Pokemon, held it close to her as if it was something one-of-a-kind and precious.

"Yep," I continued. "N gave that to you."

"N?" Dina still didn't really seem to believe it. "But... isn't he more of a 'start a bonfire and burn every Poke Ball in the world' type?"

"Yep," I answered. "So I wonder what this means." Juniper, who was the smartest person in Unova and had realized it by now, smiled at the thought.

"Yeah," Dina said dreamily. "I wonder..."

"Arceus, Dina, I'm going on if you're just gonna be like that!"

**Author's Note: Alright, since it's about as obvious as the fact that Earl shouldn't have children, here's a little conversation to embarass SkullChicka:**

**Sushi: And then when it gets to the part with N and Dina-**

**SkullChicka: Wait, there's N and Dina?**

**Sushi: Yes! How could you not know?**

**SkullChicka: *blank look***

**Sushi: Dude, we've**_** talked **_**about it!**

**SkullChicka:... I'm slow.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	19. Chapter 17

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: And now that the two of us have achieved fame of super caliber, Dodgerjoey, let us take over the world and rule it with our immense awesomeness!**

**Briar: He thinks too highly of me. I don't feel love. **

**And that is correct. Briar doesn't feel affection. And I'm way to big a WhitexN fan for it to be any other way.**

***Takes a bow* And thank you, risen truth ruthless lies. Once again, I'm really glad that you think I can write sad stuff, and even happier that I was able to tug at your emotions! And yeah, after I wrote for N in Nacrene, my sister told me that he sounded way to pretentious, so I was like "I will make N completely different than he was in the game to make up for the obnoxiously pretentious N here!" And I'm glad I did, because not only do you like him, but I do, too. (P.S. Which outburst do you mean, though, if you don't mind my asking?)**

**Agent Walrus- your reviews make me feel fuzzy inside :3 And isn't Nxany form of White awesome?**

**Disclaimer: Has the world ended without my knowing? Then my answer stands.**

Chapter 17

Chargestone Cave Just Got a Whole Lot More Dramatic

You would think that blue, floating rocks would remain interesting long to get through the cave, but _no_. In fact, they get increasingly irritating when you have to push them out of the way to continue on. And it's even worse when they only move one direction, even when there's room for them to move anywhere around them. And the Pokemon! Seriously, I'd never seen so many Pokemon in my entire life! Even the overwhelming cuteness of the Joltik was getting so tiring I considered not even going to Mistralton.

But I continued, motivated by the knowledge that N was at the back of the cave and that he was in for a world of teasing, and this time it wasn't just for his hair.

* * *

><p>"So much blue... It's blinding!" My Pokemon, who I dearly hoped had gotten used to my ranting, seemed to be agreeing with me when it came to the fact that this place was every terrible thing about the world crushed into one large, blinding, exhausting cave of awfulness. Forget kept burying her head in my jacket to spare her eyes, and it had been a while since Ming emerged from her little pocket. Tea, who had started this thing with Fenris where they would swing across my neck to switch shoulders from time to time (it choked me every time, but that was actually okay with me), had long since given this up and instead flopped across my shoulder. Dexter felt dead in my arms. The only one not affected was Fenris because, of course, he <em>lived <em>there.

I, though, was defintiely the worst off, considering the fact that I a) had to carry all of them and b) had to look at and push the very same rocks that injured my Pokemon so.

"You know, guys," I began, "you can just go back in your Poke Balls if it's that bad." Everyone practically grabbed their Poke Balls and let themselves in, they were so eager. "Whoa whoa whoa! Patience is a virtue, guys." I let them all in, one by one, so they could practice what I taught them. Once they were all safely in their homes (and I literally had loads off my shoulders), I set out across the bridge that stretched in front of me.

I didn't get far.

"What is wrong with you guys?" I screamed at the Shadow Triad. "You _do _realize I'm capable of walking, right?" They didn't listen, but instead dragged me across the bridge, more than once making me afraid of falling into the deep chasm below. They finally let go of me a little bit away from the bridge. "Arceus, people, don't you know that bridge is to small for the four of us?"

"Team Plasma is further on," one of them said, even more stoic than I usually am. He deserves an award. "Go and meet Lord N at the end of the cave." And with that, they disappeared.

"Wait, does that mean that I'm just gonna have to fight N or a bunch of grunts?" Nothing. "Ugh, you are a blight on society!" I grumbled as I continued on to a set of stairs later on, having to push a few rocks along the way. Arceus, how did these people get past them without even pushing them? Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

My question was quickly answered, though. After going down the stairs, I could see grunts, as far as the eye could see. And, of course, they all wanted me to fight them. But I didn't want to, because a) they were so easy it was annoying and b) it hurt my Pokemon just looking around them in this stupid cave. I fingered my Poke Balls, wondering if I could pull a Jazelle and make a mad dash for the other staircase, tiny in the distance. Then I remembered that I wasn't exactly fit enough to run that fast, and the grunts were so numerous that I'm sure they could use some sort of grunt code to block the entrance until I fought all of them. I sighed, mentally asking all my Pokemon to forgive me, and dove into the fire.

It was a nightmare. Seriously, I've never been so miserable in my entire miserable life. They were in that difficulty level in between so easy it's annoying and just easy, making the battles even more irritating than I thought they'd be. But... they just kept _coming_! I swear, I didn't even know that they were that many people in the world! My poor Pokemon endured, though. I shall respect all of them forever for their awesomeness in that cave. I switched them out each battle, and each time they emerged from their Poke Balls with renewed vigor, as if one more push would get us out of this terrible cave. And, finally, on what must've been my millionth battle, Tea was able to defeat the last grunt's Pokemon and I ran up the stairs faster than Forget after she drinks coffee (Gracie gave her some once. Wasn't a good idea.)

I never thought I'd be so happy to see N. He was waiting around the corner, leaning against the wall and just staring at the wall. I'd never seen someone so spaced out. Not even Gracie, and she might as well have bought real estate in her dream world.

"N!" I yelled, ready to go hug him. I stopped myself, though, when he looked at me with his big, kid-like grey eyes and I remembered how I'd survived all the blue rocks and grunts and infinite Pokemon. "I need to talk to you."

"Please battle me first," he moaned, his head in his hands.

"Battle you?" I exclaimed. "You just made me battle a billion grunts, how can you possibly ask me to battle you now?"

"Because I know exactly what you want to talk to me about, and I want some enjoyment before the torture you'll put me through."

"Fair enough," I told him, knowing that everything he said was true. "But I warn you, I'm in the battle mojo after fighting billions of grunts."

"Um... I'll take that chance, I guess. Not like there's anything else for me to really do." And, indeed, I was in the battle mojo. My Pokemon were motivated by the fact that the exit to the cave was right in front of them and even seemed a bit peeved that we had to battle N before leaving. And trust me, I know. In between moves, N would yell things like "Ming is extremely annoyed right now!" or "Tea is kind of wishing she could die. You might need to get help for her." Oh, look, Tea's decided to go all emo on us now that her friend Seary's dead. (Not that I can't sympathize.) Just another reason to hate my life.

"Beat you," I said before I knew it.

"Yeah, good job, that was a nice battle." N began to inch towards the door. "Anyway, I gotta go, kingly duties and such-"

"Up bup bup." N stopped midstep and glanced at me. I hooked and unhooked my finger, motioning him over. He sighed and walked over to me, scratching the back of his head.

"Um... yes?"

"So," I said, not even trying to suppress my smile. "Dina. Talk to me." N sighed again and began to blush furiously. "She's pretty. I don't blame you."

"It's not that she's pretty," N told me. I cocked my brow. "Not that she isn't pretty! She's beautiful. I mean, she's not ugly, she's very attractive- ugh!"

"It's okay. You can stutter if you want to."

"It's her Pokemon," he stated, smiling stupidly, happy he finally was able to articulate what he wanted to say. "See... Before you guys, I'd never really met Pokemon that, like, _liked _their trainers. In fact, they all kind of hated them."

"That explains a lot."

"Yeah. And then I met you and Dina and Earl. Earl was getting kind of annoyed with his Pokemon, which didn't make me very happy, since they weren't doing anything."

"That's okay. Earl's an annoying person."

"And Forget really liked you, Briar. But you were being mean to me, so I took her opinion with a grain of salt."

"I have no regrets."

"Of course you don't. But, Dina... I knew she had caught that Lillipup that morning, and the Oshowatt wasn't very old either, but they both would've died for her! They loved her even more than she loved them, and her love for her Pokemon is evident. I'd never seen that before. I didn't think it was possible. I'd never seen a Pokemon love a person so much. And... I guess, slowly... I started following their lead..."

"Awwwwwww," I aww-ed. I said I like cute things. "So when are you gonna tell her?"

"What?" N exclaimed, as if the idea was foreign.

"Tell her. Confess your undying love. You know, do that thing I always joke about, but actually mean it."

"Tell her..." He sounded so confused by this concept, I actually felt pretty bad for him.

"Dude. You've gotta be kidding me."

"No. I just can't do that-"

"Briar!" I turned and saw Professor Juniper, turning the corner. "I just wanted to see if you were alright, Dina and I saw all the grunts. Hey, who's this?" At the mention of Dina's name, N's face turned into a tomato.

"Professor Juniper," he said, sounding slightly surprised and very unsure of what to say. "You're the Pokemon Professor."

"That's what they call me," she replied cheerily. She kind of reminded me of an older Gracie...

"So you just classify Pokemon? Put them in boxes and study them?" he asked, sounding kind of angry now.

"Oh, you're the guy Briar and Dina were talking about," Professor Juniper replied, her nose crinkling up. "I love Pokemon too, N. Everyone shows their love for them differently. You want to liberate them. Briar captures them and battles with them so they become stronger. Dina does the same thing. I simply express my love for them by trying to find their true potential."

"You won't find their true potential in a lab!" N exclaimed, now genuinely angry. I liked cute, stuttering N from a second ago.

"You have your opinion and I have mine," Juniper stated, her lips pursed.

"Professor, did you find Briar?" Dina turned the corner, and every trace of anger in N melted away. "Oh, hi guys. Oh, N, I wanted to-" N, being the gentleman he is, didn't let her finish her sentence, but instead chose to run out of the cave looking like he had a bad sunburn. "-thank you for the Yamask. What was up with that?"

"Arceus, Dina, I'm going on if you're just going to be like that!"

**Author's Note: You guys don't mind that I hate battles, right? I hope you don't, because they're just annoying and I'm gonna try to avoid them at all costs. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	20. Chapter 18

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Here it is... the reason I didn't make it NxBriar was because a) I love NxWhite, b) every time I wrote a Pokemon fanfic in my head, the main character always had a love interest, and she was always a bit Mary Sue. So when I decided to actually write something down, I made sure that I didn't do either of those things. And c) where Briar stands right now, she simply would not want to get romantically involved with someone, and even if she did, it wouldn't be N. She would want someone who could not only take care of themselves but her as well, because Briar definitely needs someone to baby her a bit. Dina, on the other hand, is good for N because she's been taking care of cocky Earl, bitter Briar, and spacey Graciela all her life, and she could help him as well. And Fabula thanked me the other day for not giving Briar a love interest, because she correctly stated that main characters almost always have a love interest, so I don't regret my decision.**

**However, in the sequel, she won't be the main character and will have one, and I kind of love him. So there's a little preview.**

**Dodgerjoey- I shall begin work on this new world right away, and there will be no grunts or Patrats, and if there is any your Shuppet shall destroy them!**

**risen truth ruthless lies- It's good to know that I don't have to worry about battles. I'll still do them occasionally, but only the important ones with not many Pokemon. And... wow. You looked deeper into Briar's outburst than I did. It's all true, though; she's a very angsty person that hates showing her feelings. But, considering the fact that N was the boss of the person that killed her Pansear, she didn't mind beating the crap out of him and consequently releasing her feelings about not only Seary's death but Gracie's as well.**

**Alright, sorry for the long author's note, you all just seemed sad that there was no NxBriar and I wanted to explain my reasoning.**

**Disclaimer: This is getting tiring. It would be easier to make that world Dodgerjoey and I envisioned if this one was destroyed, though, so hmmm...**

Chapter 18

A Bell Reads My Mind

"Just another reason to hate my life." About two steps out of the cave, it started raining. With the way N was booking it, though, I imagine that he was in the next town by now, lucky Ducklett.

It was then that the umbrella was placed over my head.

"A little bit of rain is a small part of a long life," a tall, kind of old guy told me.

"My life was hateable before this," I explained, taking the umbrella he was holding out for me.

"I know," he said. Of course he did. It seemed like everyone knew who I was lately. "I'm Cedric Juniper, the senior Pokemon Professor. Juniper was so excited when you and your friends left with the Pokedex. She's been talking to me about you and your adventures all the time."

"How kind of her," I muttered, moving closer to him and putting the umbrella over his head, too, so he wouldn't get drenched. "Why are you here, though?"

"Oh, right! I'm here to upgrade your Pokedex. Lets get someplace where it isn't raining Purrloins and Lillipups." So we kind of jogged up a slippery flight of stairs into the city and into the Pokemon Center, a glimmering, blinding beacon in the midst of the misty rain. There were lots of other wet, grumpy people when we entered, and while I blended in nicely with them, Juniper practically fangirled over my Pokedex when I handed it over.

"You might want to sit down," he told me. "I don't know how long this will take." So there he was, tinkering away at my Pokedex, while I simply looked out the window and wondered when water would stop falling from the sky. This prompted me to wonder just how water fell from the sky. Was it Pokemon, or was meteorology just insane? Then I felt stupid because I remembered that it had to do with clouds, and- "Done!" Oh, thank Arceus. I hate it when I'm left to my thoughts.

"Thanks," I said, taking it. "So... what can it do now?"

"It knows more Pokemon," Juniper Sr. explained. "See, my daughter must've found the best oppurtunity she knew she would in you, because the Pokedex was slightly incomplete. She programmed certain Pokemon from places that you've already been, but nothing beyond Chargestone Cave. So there you go."

"Gotcha." Just then, the rain let up a little bit, and a second later, it stopped completely. "Wowww. That's freaky."

"Arceus is smiling on you today, my friend!" Cedric laughed, slapping my shoulder. "Come. I'll walk you out." We joined the wave of people that were trying to exit and get home before the rain returned, something I dearly hoped would not happen.

"Well, uh, thanks for the umbrella."

"You're welcome. I'm going on ahead to the next town over. Dragonspiral Tower is there, and it's one of the oldest buildings in Unova. I'm hoping for some clue to the beginning of Pokemon there. Did Juniper tell you that that was what she was looking for?"

"No."

"Yes, she studying the Klink in Chargestone to see if they harbor any clues as well." I remembered Kilnk. They were gears that Dr. Frankenstein decided to breathe life into to make my life difficult. "Anyway, I hope to see you in Icirrus, Briar!"

"Bye, Professor Juniper." I kinda watched as he ran towards a mountain looming in the distance, wondering what to do next. Fog had set in fairly quickly, and I had no idea where I was going in this new city.

"Hey, you!" Oh, look. Entertainment. "Have you seen Professor Juniper?"

"Which one?" I asked the scantily-dressed red-haired girl. "I just discovered that there are two. Or maybe there's a third one, his wife, and a fourth one, her sister? Perhaps even a Juniper Sr. Sr., the Professor Juniper I knew first's grandparent of some sort-"

"Senior!" she exclaimed, not wanting to hear me ramble. My ramblings had that effect on people. "Senior, one time. He was here just a minute ago."

"Oh, that one?" I repeated with fake realization. "He left."

"He did? Man, I needed to talk to him!" She looked at me and explained. "We were talking earlier about some cargo I have that needs delivering. I'm a pilot, see, and need to be getting to Kanto." That caught my attention. "But then he started saying something about some of it needed to be aired out of whatever, and I'm not sure if it really does or if it's too late- Which way did he go?"

"Thataway," I told her, pointing. "But I'm pretty sure he's gone, anyway. What were you saying about Kanto?"

"What? Oh, that? I'm flying there tomorrow. And I need to go that way anyway. One of my other pilots told me that they thought they saw a hurt Pokemon on top of Celestial Tower, so I need to check it out."

"_Your _pilot?" I questioned sceptically. She didn't exactly look like an authority figure.

"Yeah," she said, sounding slightly hurt. "I'm Skyla, the Mistralton Gym Leader." Oh. Well okay. "You can come with me, if you want. Celestial Tower isn't that far out of the city. I'd point it out to you, but the fog is covering all of Route 7."

"Briar. And sure, I'll go." After all, she was the reason I was here. And there wasn't really anything else to do anyway.

So I followed Skyla as she zigzagged through Mistralton, her city, and entered Route 7. I was all the sudden very thankful that I was with her, because I discovered that, as long as you were with the gym leader, the trainers didn't want to fight you. In fact, they backed off as much as they could without being completely noticeable. They must've thought I was some sort of battle god or something. I didn't correct them.

"There it is." And there it was. Ominoulsy looming in front of us, the Celestial Tower seemed to appear out of nowhere. It wasn't there, and then you took one step and there it was, smack in front of you, almost making you crap yourself in its suddenness as well as eerieness.

"We're going up to the top?"

"That's where Carmichael said he saw the Pokemon. Don't worry, I've been up here a billion times." With that, Skyla skipped inside, as if it wasn't a _freaking haunted tower_, and I felt obliged to follow her.

The first room was all gravestones and I felt the weight of everything that had happened since I'd left crash down on me again. There were a few other people there, paying their respects to their deceased, not minding the eerie atmosphere but instead focusing on the person or Pokemon they'd lost.

"I've lost both."

"What?" Great. I'd said it out loud.

"Nothing. I just-"

"Lost someone?" I sighed. "It's okay to admit it. My older brother's over there. He died in a plane crash. What about you?" This girl, though not like Jazelle at all, had the quality the small girl possessed that made it seem okay to tell them everything about everything.

"My best friend," I told her.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not done. And my Pansear. She's very recent."

"Then I'm doubly sorry. If you want, you can stay here a moment. They may not be buried here, but some say every spirit in Unova comes here to rest." Normally, I would've immediately said no and hurried her on to the top so she could help whatever Pokemon her pilot thought he saw so we could have a battle. But my mouth had other ideas and it said "Yes", leaving me alone as Skyla ran up the spiral staircase.

For some reason, I was feeling incomplete in the state I was in, like I should be mourning with something more. I released all my Pokemon, who easily settled into the spots they'd chosen earlier, but something still felt wrong. That's when I heard the rustling as Sage appeared beside me. There. Now we were all ready.

My Pokemon, Sage, and I began walking through the multiple tombstones, weaving between people and little rocks scattered here and there. Remembering that Seary's tombstone was just a rock that we got out of the charity of a hiker and a Gurdurr, I stepped aside from these, in case they were little gravestones of little deaths set here by children or sentimental adults. I stopped for a moment, coinsidering, then ran outside. I quickly found two fairly sized rocks, made Dexter hold them, and ran back inside. There, I found a little corner where I doubted anyone would step or trip on them, and set Graciela and Seary's little graves down. I mean, why not?

"Do you guys want to go up?" I asked my Pokemon. No one seemed to care, except Sage, who appeared to want to stay downstairs. "You can stay if you want to. I'll be down again soon." Sage always had had the most expressive eyes I'd seen on a Pokemon. Those eyes seemed to now be telling me: "I'd like that."

As we travelled up the stairs, I noticed the people and tombstones become less and less common and in their place was general creepiness. Fog seemed to roll over every floor, which didn't make sense, since we were inside and I didn't think so much fog could come into an indoor space without a machine or something. My Pokemon began to retreat into the depths of my coat, just as they had in Chargestone Cave. But this time, I was fairly certain it was because they were genuinely freaked out, not because it was for the good of their eyes. Finally, the blessed Sun broke through the final door, and we saw Skyla waiting for us on the roof.

"Hello," she chirped. "You were down there awhile- which is totally okay- and I was able to fix up the Tranquil that was here. I was just waiting for you now." Skyla looked behind her at a big, bronze bell that seemed to stand guard over Mistralton and Route 7 and even the mountain, as a sentinel at the top of the tower. "Hey, why don't you ring the bell? They say that, depending on the ringing sound, it can tell your personality. Or something to that effect."

"Well, they certainly say a lot of things about this place, don't they?" Nevertheless, I walked over to the little handle by the bell and pushed as hard as I could. It began to ring a low sort of ring, which were sometimes short and sometimes long.

"Funny," Skyla said. "I've never heard a ring like that before. I can't exactly make out what it means..."

"I can probably say," I told her. "It's saying that I'm a bitter, unhappy person who likes to take her unhappiness out on others. Unsurprisingly, a lot of people don't like to be around me, and the ones that do are wasting their time." Skyla listened to my statement, then listened more closely to the bell, which seemed to be fading.

"There's a little bit of that," she told me as she listened, "but there's a lot more. You're determined. And... loyal. You're grateful for everything that's happened, even if you don't show it." Skyla broke her gaze on the enchanting bell and smiled at me. "I think there's a lot more to you than you think, Briar." I began to feel exposed, knowing that someone could see into my personality even better than I could, and really felt ready to go.

"How about we just head back to the gym," I muttered.

"Sure. I'd love to battle you." The two of us began to walk down the stairs in silence, me feeling awkward and exposed, and I'm not sure what she was feeling (it's not like _I _can hear personalities through magic bells.) I was so focused on what was in front of me, in fact, that I almost tripped and fell over a Pokemon.

"Watch out!" Skyla warned, way too late, as she grabbed my arm.

"What the heck!" I yelled at the ground. I'd tripped over a candle, which was smack in the middle of the path we were using. Wait, it wasn't a candle, it had eyes. "A Pokemon?"

"A Litwick," Skyla explained. "They're very common in here. I'm surprised you haven't seen any yet." She bent down next to it, examining it for who-knows-what. "Poor thing, it looks as if someone battled it and just left it here. It's very weak; we should probably take it to the Pokemon Center and then back here." Skyla smiled and cocked her brow at me. "That is, unless you want to catch him."

I'll admit, using a Poke Ball on a candle was not my idea of a good idea. But it was awfully cute, the way it's melted wax covered one eye, the other one being large and a pretty shade of lavender. My evaluating skills, which I hadn't used in a long time (and still didn't know the meaning of), told me that it was Ghost- and Fire-type. Wait, ghost and fire? That's awesome! And I needed a fire Pokemon, since Seary wasn't exactly available anymore. I reached in my bag for a Poke Ball and...

"I'm all out!" I shouted, surprised at my own ignorance. Of course, stupid, you'd used your last Poke Ball on Fenris!

"Oh, um, just a sec." Skyla dug around in a little bag that hung loosely around her slim waist. It occured to me that it'd probably be super easy to pickpocket her. "Here!" She held out a black Poke Ball with designs that kind of reminded me of space on them. "It's a Luxury Ball. I beat a trainer, and he asked if he could pay me with this, and I told him he could. You can use it, though." It was, quite honestly, the prettiest Poke Ball I'd ever seen. I took it gingerly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! You'll already be putting it to better use than I could by catching him." Since I was never one to be all like "This is beautiful, I could never take this", I hurried up and dropped it on the little candle. Unsurprisingly, it clicked after the normal three turns. I considered releasing him, but thought better of it when I remembered his injuries.

"What should I name him?" I asked Skyla as we ran down the stairs, now needing to go to the Pokemon Center before the gym.

"Harvey," she blurted out, before seeming to want to take it back.

"You know, I actually like that. Harvey. Sure."

"It was my brother's name," she explained. "You know, the dead one. It can be different if that's to uncomfortable or something." I looked down at Forget, who was easily keeping up with us. If your Snivy being named Forget-Me-Not after your best friend's favorite flower, followed by said friend dying, wasn't as uncomfortable as you could get when it came to names, I didn't know what was.

"No," I told her as we arrived on the bottom floor. In the shadows, I could barely make out Gracie and Seary's little graves. "Harvey's good."

**Author's Note: I actually really like Skyla, despite the fact that I'm sure her legs and back are always getting stuck to the back of the pilot's chair with that outfit she wears.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	21. Chapter 19

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Everyone give risen truth ruthless lies a standing ovation; she went above and beyond and greatly helped me out with OCs in the sequel, including the main character. **

**Well, Guardian54, I'm glad that Seary's death made you think that way. And... you'll see. I have it all planned out.**

**Crap, Dodgerjoey, your review cracked me up XD! I was almost on the floor with Yorick. He shall be the king of Unova in our new world... And I'm glad you like the part where Briar and Skyla pay their respects. I wasn't planning on it, but it came to me a bit after I wrote that part and I added it in. And why Victini? I kinda like that little guy...**

**Yes! Finally! In all my years of writing I have never been able to write what happens in this chapter. Finally, my romantic side will be satisfied!**

**Disclaimer: I know! I'll get two brothers to become heroes and then have them fight until Reshiram and Zekrom destroy this world and make a new one! Wait, this is a disclaimer... I don't own Pokemon. There. **

Chapter 19

That Annoyingly Romantic 'Kissing in the Rain' Scene

Skyla was so excited to fight me that she gave me a pass to go straight to her when I was ready to fight her. But I knew that in the position I was in, my chances of beating her, like her amount of clothing, was slim. So I went to Route 7 to train. There, I was able to get a feel for my Pokemon's fighting styles without being blinded by unreasonably blue stone.

Forget-Me-Not was short, sweet, and to the point. If I said Vine Whip, the opponent was being whipped into tomorrow in a matter of seconds. Say Quick Attack, she's on them before the order's done. I guess I'm a bit like that, too. Maybe that's why I've always liked her.

Tea was still my little acrobat, even if she was now a bit emo. There was more power to her attacks now, which she undoubtedly got from her old friend Seary. That was just one of the differences I noticed in her, though. Right before I was going to return her to her Poke Ball, she gave me a look as if to say "I want to evolve." Maybe I was beginning to get the hang of understanding Pokemon, if just through expression.

Ming's style was similar to Forget's in a sense of terseness, but due to the fact that she was a little karate master that learned dramatics from another little karate master, she looked a lot more awesome in the process. She went through Pokemon like she had a personal grudge against them, and was done with her training quicker than anyone else.

Dexter, of course, was ever the actor. A flip here, a battle cry there, and in between he fell on his face quite a few times. Good ol' Dexter.

Maybe it was because he's a spider and spider's sometimes inspire these feelings in people, but Fenris' fighting reminded me of a paranoid person. Like, he would wrap them in an electrocuting web and let them faint slowly before crawling back to me. Then, being the merciful trainer I am, I'd send him back out to finish them quickly.

Harvey was fairly easy to read. He liked the chaos of watching an enemy go down. He liked to watch them dance. And then he liked to beat the crap out of them. It was if he knew he was going to win, and he wanted to savor it. Kinda dark. But he _was _a ghost Pokemon.

"What's this?" Clyde asked when I handed him the pass written out by Skyla. It had started raining in the middle of Harvey's training, which made him grumpy, which meant I was impatient.

"It's a pass written by Skyla saying that I can skip all her annoying trainers and fight her. Now let me through." Clyde seemed to understand that I was not in the mood and made the wise decision of leading me to the gym leader platform.

"Briar!" Skyla exclaimed. "I've been waiting for you. Where've you been?"

"Training. Then it started raining. I got irritated. Now I'm going to beat you."

"Alright. Have at me, then!" You know that Electric-type Pokemon own Flying-type, don't you? Good. Then you know that Fenris was able to defeat Unfezant (Pidgeotto?) and Swanna easily. Especially Swanna. Talk about a double whammy.

"Go, Swoobat!" Skyla shouted, releasing a fuzzy, colorful bat. Crap. This must've been the evolved form of Zu- I mean Woobat. "Use Future Sight!" ... Nothing happened.

"Well okay. Hey, doesn't Bug-type beat Psychic-type?" I didn't really ask anyone.

"Yep," Clyde answered anyway.

"Do you even know a Bug-type move?" I asked Fenris. He twitched and did not answer. "Crap. Oh well, she's still Flying-type. Use Electro Ball." Still twitching a bit, Fenris sent the attack Swoobat's way. She dodged it dramatically, and Fenris twitched again.

"Use Attract!" Skyla ordered. Then the Swoobat started looking at Fenris like she was a freaking prostitute and BAM. My Joltik's in love.

"Just another reason to hate my life."

"Heart Stamp, now!" Then she started crying hearts and I was convinced this Pokemon needed a therapist. Unfortunately, before I could recommend Gracie, I realized a) she was dead and b) the hearts were hurting Fenris. Add on that I remembered what Future Sight was at that moment and Fenris was hurt by that as well, and you realize I was not pleased.

"Use Electro Ball, now!" I ordered. He just stood there. "Oh, that's right. You're in love now. Get over the prostitutional bat and do something!" Though reluctant, Fenris obeyed and sent a slow, useless Electro Ball her way. She dodged it easily, of course. "Fine then. I'll send Harvey in to do it." Fenris spun around and the look in his electric blue eyes seemed to scream "NO!"

And then they started glowing. And he started glowing. And then he was a Galvantula.

"That's what Galvantula looks like?" I once again asked no one in particular.

"Yep," Clyde answered again.

"Okay. Well, you still lovestruck, Spidey?" Fenris turned to Swoobat and nearly gagged. "Good to know. You know any good Bug-type moves now?" Fenris answered by shooting a colorful beam from his mouth that knocked Swoobat into oblivion. "Wait, you liar! You did that move during training. You've known it the whole time." Shaking, Fenris shrugged.

"Well that battle was all I expected it to be!" Skyla said excitedly. "Here you go: your Jet Badge." In her extended palm was a little gold badge in the shape of a turquoise wing. "And this is a present from me." In her other hand was a shiny, deep blue stone.

"A water stone?" I asked.

"Yep. I saw how jealous your Panpour was when your Joltik evolved. This should appease her." I stared at it for a moment before spinning around and tossing it to Tea.

"Catch!" She leaped and caught it in midair and was glowing before she even hit the ground. As quickly as it had been with Fenris, the glowing ceased, and she was taller and her hair was long and curly. "_That's_ what Simipour looks like? Remind me to send that breeder a candy gram or something, she _is _feminine!"

"Well, do with it what you will. See you later, Briar Casey!" Clyde led me out of the gym, and it was just then that I remembered something.

"I'm hurt, man," I said to Clyde. "You didn't give me any fresh water."

"You didn't take it last time," he answered.

"But I like the fresh water!" I whined, suddenly feeling like a child to a father. "It's become a constant that I've grown to love, even though it's completely useless!"

"Well that makes me want to give it to you," he snorted sarcastically. "Alright, though. Ask me at the Iccirus Gym and I'll give it to you."

"Yay!" Wow. I hadn't shown that much emotion in a while. And I certainly never thought I would for something as utterly useless as fresh water. Perhaps this was what mentoring was meant to be? "See ya."

It was still raining outside, which meant that I was still grumpy. And who better to greet me outside than my favorite king N?

"Hey Briar."

"Sweet Arceus, N, stop being so creepy!"

"Sorry," he said, throwing his hands up. "Is it... not normal to wait for you?" I sighed, flicking what little amount of bangs I had to the side. The rain was making them stick to my face.

"It's _normal _to go in, watch me battle, and wait for me to finish so you can talk to me. I suppose it's not totally weird to stand out here when it's sunny. But, if you haven't noticed, dear Lord N, it's _raining_."

"I noticed," he said, looking up and letting the excess water from his hat drip into his eyes. "But it's just water. What's so bad about it?"

"You're not supposed to stand around in it!" I exclaimed. "You'll get sick! How long have you been standing there, anyway?"

"Since right after you went in," he answered. "Well, actually, this kid needed help finding this thing he lost at the end of the runway, so I helped him look for that. Luckily, you weren't done yet." I sighed again.

"Helping little kids. That's nice a_nd _normal. You would've done so well if you'd just went inside like a regular person after that."

"I guess I'm just not a regular person," he replied nonchalantly. _Duh_ I wanted to say, but I held it in. "And speaking of that! I have come to talk about Team Plasma!"

"You mean you're going to tell me, the biggest nuisance to your stupid little organization since it first began to gain popularity, about your big plans so I can start making my own to stop you?" N deflated.

"Well... I was going to do something along those lines, but now I'm less inclined to."

"Good boy," I complimented with a smile. "I like surprises. And speaking of surprises, when are you going to talk to Dina? You were a total loser in the cave when you ran off. It made her sad."

"It did?" he asked in a way that made it sound like he'd done something a lot more awful then make the sensitive Dina sad.

"Yep. She just wanted to ask you about the Yamask."

"Does she like it?" he questioned sheepishly.

"Last time I checked she did. Oh well, if you're going to be a coward, you can go on ahead." And N seemed to have no problem doing this, despite the fact that he would forever be branded in my mind.

He redeemed himself in a moment, though.

"N! There you are!" Dina rushed through the downpour, slipping a bit as she scurried over to N. "I just wanted to thank you for Yamask. He's a great Pokemon. Why me, though? It was Earl's birthday, too."

"Oh, um... I only saw one?" N answered so quietly that I was almost unable to hear him.

"But... don't you not like to catch Pokemon?" N was blushing furiously by now and I was getting annoyed.

"No, Dina. He is completely against catching Pokemon. He caught one for you. Any ideas?" Dina rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Arceus, was it incomprehensible to this girl that someone might actually love her? Oh well. Time to play to her insecurites. She'd thank me in the end. "So were you going to challenge the gym, Dina? Or do you still think you're to weak to take anyone on?" At this, Dina looked down, discouraged, and N's head snapped up. "Yep. Lot's of people think you're weak. I mean, I don't, but there are some people."

"There are lots of people," she murmurred, curling her feet in to make a V. She did that often back home, when a visitor came to town and she and Gracie were sent to greet them. She did it when people told Gracie how pretty and sweet she was and paid Dina no mind.

"I'm pretty sure Earl thinks so. I _know _Ghetsis thinks so. He may be just pretentious, though..."

"I think so," she murmured, even softer than before.

"You're not weak!" N exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders. Dina was startled but was finally able to look him right in the eyes. He took a deep breath and continued, me more proud of them than I'd ever been... probably ever will be. "Weak girls don't stick up for one of weirdest people they know. Weak girls can't be around two idiot pranksters and too-mature karate masters and negative Kantonian best friends-"

"Hey! That's me!"

"- and still be as happy as you are. Pokemon don't love weak girls on sight." He gulped right as I noticed Earl and Cilan jogging up. When did they get here? "Weak girls don't make strong boys rethink everything they were ever taught." Dina shivered and looked down, and I don't think it was from the rain. "Oh, you're probably cold!" N took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders in one fluid movement, as if he'd lived his whole 16-year-long life for the sole purpose of doing that little thing. She looked up at him again.

"Oh yes," I murmured under my breath. "Briar the matchmaker." And then she kissed him.

"Hey Briar, what's going SWEET ARCEUS GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER YOU CRAZY PSYCHO!" Cilan and I grabbed Earl by the arms before he was able to clobber N.

"Well that's nice," Cilan commented, his voice strained due to the work he was putting into keeping his best friend from committing murder. Luckily, Jazelle appeared out of nowhere and pinned him to the ground, relieving us of that burden. She looked up and saw N and Dina, still kissing, laughed, and said:

"Get some!" I laughed and knocked her on the head.

"You little pervert. You're lucky that they can't hear us."

"I can hear you," Dina answered, breaking free for a moment before returning to the kiss. That's when Skyla appeared.

"Hey Briar, I was gonna- oh my Arceus this looks like sexual tension. Give me the deats!" I sighed and answered:

"First off, it's 'details', not 'deats'. And okay, _he's_ the king of an organization of crazy knights wanting to liberate Pokemon."

"Oh! Oh..." she said, the first 'oh' excited, the second slightly concerned.

"And the girl's my best friend that is making him slowly change his mind since every Pokemon loves her, even though that little fact is not known by either of them."

"Oh. Oh!" she said again, this time the order switched. I turned when I heard an exasperated sigh from Jazelle. She'd gotten a pinecone- I don't know how- and was writing on it while sitting on Earl.

"The rain might wash that off," I informed her.

"Then he'd better read it fast!" she told me as she capped the pin and threw the pinecone right at his temple. His hand was out to catch it before it even hit the ground, and he switched from kissing to simply hugging so he could read it.

"What did it say?" I asked her.

"To stop being a freaking anime guy and say he loves her," she replied, still genuinely irritated. N gulped and looked Dina in the eye again.

"I love you, Dina," he confessed, resulting in a silent applause from everyone but Earl, who I think was unconcious. "You're good and strong and beautiful and represent everything wonderful in this messed up world." Dina laughed before releasing a little hiccup. She covered her mouth shyly before answering:

"Yeah, not too bad yourself." N laughed, picked her up, and spun her around. As she held onto him, he turned to Jazelle and mouthed: _Was that good?_

_Perfect _she mouthed back with a smile.

**Author's Note: Awwwww... I hope that was nice. I've been waiting to write that for a while. And the "Get some" was SkullChicka's idea, and since Jazelle is based off of her, there it is (I messaged you, so if that isn't what you said... too bad. You say you're always on Facebook.)**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	22. Chapter 18 and a Half

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Uh, no. Dina's not dying, Guardian54. Normally, I'm game for killing people off, **_**especially **_**love interests. But this time... no. Sorry.**

**Agent Walrus: Yayyyy! I know right? And I don't know... I can imagine Jazelle having a snack of some sort while pinning Earl down... And if you get an account just to review... that'll make me the happiest person on the planet.**

**Yorick: You're welcome. But no raping Gardenia, you hear?**

**Dodgerjoey: Ohhhh, I see. Okay. Make that Victini suffer. And yeah, as I wrote Cilan and Earl entering, I thought "What would an over-protective not big brother say when he saw that?" I was done with his outburst before I even finished that thought. And I suppose Story Time with Yorick is your new favorite time of day?**

**The sequel shall work out thanks to you, risen truth ruthless lies! I'd hope that it was like N; I've spent months trying to make it perfect for him. I'll use your ideas in another chapter, but I just got an idea that could only work in this chapter, so I'm doing it. Seriously though, guys she gave me three ideas for this chapter on command. I swear, this person's a personified Seventh Sanctum...**

**And one more thing! Fabula has told me that a lot of you have Author Alert-ed her. She would like me to remind you that SHE is NOT the author, but sushi4427 is. If you want to Author Alert someone, alert me. It'd make me feel good. Pllleeeeaaaasssseeee...? **

**And since Fabula says I MUST, this takes place before Chpater 19. Hence the 18 and a 1/2.**

**Disclaimer: Brothers that bicker... brothers that bicker... DRAKE AND JOSH! There was a whole episode on that! Oh... I don't own Pokemon.**

Chapter 18 and a 1/2

Jazelle Teaches N How to Talk to Girls

Poor little N. I can just imagine him, walking all alone after he ran away from Dina as if she were an axe murderer instead of the girl he loved. I can just imagine him as he wandered through the rain, which I'm still sure was triggered by my exit of the cave. Just strolling around, in the rain, his head hanging low in shame.

And then I can imagine Jazelle showing up, making everything worse.

"Hey, N! Why are you walking around in the rain looking like you just killed a puppy?" Cue N sighing and stealing my catch phrase for a moment: "Just another reason to hate my life." (Remind me to sue him later; I copyright-ed that.)

"Not now, Jazelle. I'm busy being depressed because I'm a coward." Jazelle's face turned serious for a moment as she began to stroke her chin.

"Well, you wanna know the best way to make a depressed person walking around in the rain feel better?" Though he could tell it would end badly, N was curious and decided to hear her out.

"What?"

"Talking to an awesome not depressed person!" she replied, throwing her hands up in the air excitedly. N's eyes narrowed in irritation.

"They could build a monument to your ego."

"Have they not already?"

"Arceus, you're the worst possible person I could be talking to right now!" With that, the king turned his back on her and continued his walk, hoping to block her out by brooding more than he had been before.

"Hey! Hey, N, wait!" Jazelle exclaimed, not wanting to be ignored. "Come back!" She ran up to him and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back towards her. This, due to the fact that N isn't really heavy and Jazelle is extremely strong despite her small body, caused him to fall back from the tug and they landed on top of each other.

"Ack! No no no no no!" N scrambled to get off of Jazelle as if she were some sort of poison. She squinted and said:

"It's a girl, isn't it?" N's eyes widened.

"What- how did you know?"

"You fell on top of me. It was a pose that could... confuse some people. You acted like a lover caught cheating." Suddenly, all the seriousness melted away and she scooted up to him, chin in her hands and eyes sparkling. "So who is it? Who's the lucky girl? I mean, I've known for a while, but I wanna hear you say it."

"You knew?" N exclaimed, eyes widening again.

"Well, duh. You blushed every time she looked at you. Now say it." He considered denying for a moment, then remembered his time in the hospital back in Nimbasa and decided that wasn't a good idea.

"You seem to already know, but Dina."

"Yes!" she chirped, a triumphant look consuming her face. "The Great Jazelle guesses right again!"

"It's not like it matters, though," N grumbled, pulling his knees up and resting his head on them. I'm sure it occured to the king that he was, well, a king and sitting on the muddy ground, but _obviously _he had bigger problems right now. "I'm too chicken to say anything."

"N Harmonia- that's not your full name, is it? Oh well, I'll deal with that later. **(A/N: Foreshadowing!) **Anyway, N Harmonia, you have to tell her! It's your duty as a man!"

"But... but... but I don't wanna!"

"Oh, don't act like such a child!" Jazelle scolded. "You have to! Do you realize how insecure Dina is? Even after she hangs out with people like us? Do you know how good it will make her feel to know that someone loves her?"

"Wait, what?" N asked, not believing his ears. "But... weak people don't stick up for the weirdest people-"

"Yeah, yeah, save it. Obviously, though, _she's _not the weak one, considering that _you're _the one not confessing your feelings."

"Hey! Whoa whoa whoa! I'm the freaking hero, Jazelle. I am _not _weak."

"Sure, N. Whatever stops the tears." Tears didn't seem to be his problem, though. In fact, he was turning red like... well, like whenever he looked at Dina.

"I am _not _weak and I'm certainly not so weak that I can't even tell a girl I like her!" Jazelle smiled a mischevious, cat-like smile.

"Good. Then next time you see her you have to tell her. Oh, guys, you're so easy. Just tell them they can't do something and they'll do it in a fit of rage." N was red again, but it wasn't from anger this time.

"Well... uh..."

"Help! Can you help me?" A boy, not much younger than Jazelle, came running up to them, waving his arms frantically.

"Beat it, kid, we're having a serious conversation here. As we sit on the muddy ground. And N's blushing like a freaking bride. You know what, we're looking like a pretty sad lot, what do you need?"

"I lost something at the end of the runway!" the kid explained. Jazelle raised her eyebrows.

"At the end of the runway?"

"Yeah!" There was a silence, then she sighed.

"So... you're telling me that you were at the _end of a runway_, in the rain, when a plane can't see you as it in all its thousands of pounds of glory rumbles down the same runway you were on?"

"Yeah, not my best idea."

"No it's not. We shall go help you anyway, though. Come on, let's go." So that was how Jazelle and N began walking down a runway in use in the middle of the rain... all while Jazelle was giving him romance advice.

"You've gotta be honest man. Just tell her how you feel HOLY CRAP PLANE. Well, it's a good thing I'm Jazelle Sebring, or that might have hurt! Anyway, you've gotta be spontaneous, too. Just say whatever pops into that ponytail-ed little head of yours. Hey, what're we even looking for, kid?"

"A Poke Ball." Silence.

"Does it have Pokemon?" N asked.

"No. It has Pokemon cards, though."

"Hey! I already used a Poke Ball as an uncanny container!" Jazelle objected. "Whatever. Are we getting warmer?"

"I'm not," N grumbled, shivering beneath his jacket.

"Yeah. It should be around here somewhere... Maybe over- oh, wait, here it is in my pocket. Sorry guys." Jazelle and N didn't dignify that statement with a response. Instead, they walked the other way back to the Pokemon Center.

"Well that was dangerous and unnecessary," N muttered.

"But at least I was able to give you advice on girls!" Jazelle said optimistically.

"You could've done that somewhere dry, without planes taking off around us."

"I could've, but at least it was an adventure!" Jazelle eyes wandered towards the airport hanger, a.k.a. the gym. "Hey, is that Briar?"

"It is!" N said excitedly. "It looks like she's going to fight the gym leader. I'll wait for her." N walked over to the entrance and leaned against the wall.

"... Not going inside?"

"Why? It's not like I can get any wetter."

"... What are you going to tell her when she comes out and starts to kill you with her snark, while asking why you're in the rain?"

"I don't know. She'll probably be out of there soon, though."

"Okay then. I'll wait with you."

So Jazelle and N waited for a while, not caring about the rain since they'd already been through worse. Jazelle threw in a few more tips for N about love confessions, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Finally, she got tired of letting the rain soak her to the bones and told him that she was going somewhere dry.

"Oh, wait, one more thing!" N spun on an exiting Jazelle.

"Yes? What?"

"You've gotta say you love her, man. It's all for naught if you don't do that." N stayed silent for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes, his thoughtful and her's commanding.

"Okay. Got it." Satisfied in her student, Jazelle proceeded to run towards civilization, far away from the planes she'd been so close to before. And on the way, she passed Dina.

"Hey Dee!" the small girl called out. Dina looked her way and smiled, despite the fact that she was being drenched too. "I think I saw N over by the gym. Didn't you want to talk to him?"

"I did! Thank you!" Jazelle watched as her friend scurried in the direction she had just walked away from, and decided that she'd do the same in a moment.

**Author's Note: Well, I admit, this chapter was-**

**Briar, Dina, Jazelle, and Fabula: NOOOO!**

**Sushi: What's up with you guys?**

**Jazelle: Bakura and Marik just died in Yu-Gi-Oh the abridged series!**

**Sushi: What? But I shipped them! I... but... huh... NO! Thanks for reading and... uh... please review. I'm gonna go join the sobbing fangirls now...**

**N *looking at the YouTube pause on Jazelle's mysteriously appearing laptop*: Hey, their hair is almost as awesome as mine.**

**Earl: Dude, their hair is way more awesome than yours.**

**N: What? But... no! I have the coolest of all the male protagonist's hair in this fanfiction!**

**Dina *in between sobs*: Sorry N, but- **_**hic**_**- Marik's hair is better- **_**hic**_**- than yours.**

**N: Et tu, Dina?**

**Fabula: You don't know for sure until the series is over, you don't know for sure until the series is over...**

**Briar: This is all just another reason to hate my life!**

**Actual Author's Note, not Sushi's way of coping when it looked a heck of a lot like Marik and Bakura died in YGOTAS and Fabula wasn't there to tell me that you can't be sure until the series is over and Wikipedia was NO HELP: Sorry if the above dialogue made no sense. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you liked it!**


	23. Chapter 20

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: I agree, Agent Walrus. N acting like a noodle would be annoying. And she wouldn't karate chop a little kid in the stomach, and she wouldn't do it to N either, unless provoked. (Don't worry, though, they'll be plenty of Jazelle karate chopping in this chapter :})**

**I'll use one of your ideas here, risen truth ruthless lies (man, your name's long!) And I said foreshadowing, don't blurt that out! Also, Seventh Sanctum is a totally awesome generator that can give you **_**anything**_**. Seriously. It's insane.**

**I do know where New Zealand is, afeleon276! Not all us Americans are stupid and obnoxious XD Well, I know it's near Australia. Sorry I don't know more. I hoped you liked the rest of the story :)**

**Whoa, Dodgerjoey, you and Yorick are getting a little weird there XD But it was even weirder before when I though Yorick was the Shuppet. That was just confusing.**

**I'm so glad that I was able to brighten your day, Spider Radio! That is really the best part of writing, knowing that you made someone else happy. That's why my day got brighter, too :) And thanks for reading ****Slacker****; I'm not sure which I'll update first (probably this) so I thanked you in both!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I'm not feeling creative tonight.**

Chapter 20

The Bodyguard, Jazelle-style

I guess it's what we get for standing out in the rain and watching N and Dina make out for, like, half an hour, but we all found ourselves in the Pokemon Center sneezing our brains out by the time they were done. Well, the love birds were just fine. Maybe kissing made you immune to sickness? In that case, I'll start making out with Earl next time it starts raining on a route... nope, couldn't say it without laughing. And then gagging. And Jazelle was fine, too, of course. She said there wasn't any room for sickness with her ego. Good ol' Jazelle.

Anyway, it was an amusing sight, the Pokemon Center that afternoon. Skyla unknowingly made herself decent by putting on a blanket, and was forced to close the gym, which was not good news for Earl. Not like it would've made a difference, anyway. He was coughing so much that he was constantly out of breath, which of course led to more coughing. Cilan was complaining that he couldn't cook as he puked into a toilet. I was brooding in a corner, the only difference between what I'm normally like being that I sneezed and coughed a couple of times in between statements of "Just another reason to hate my life."

Why the heck were we in a Pokemon Center? Aren't there any _human _hospitals?

Finally, I decided that I was thoroughly sick of sitting around in a hospital that wasn't even for my species and easily snuck out. Jazelle, the worst nurse ever, was virtually battling online with her Xtransceiver as Earl begged for water and Cilan puked some more. Yep. I was getting out of this plague house.

It wasn't raining as hard as it was awhile ago, simply drizzling. Still, it was enough to keep people off the streets and to aggravate my cold further. This didn't deter me in my completely unhealthy journey, however; I continued trudging through the mud, considering that I left my Pokemon back at the Pokemon Center. Oh well, I'm sure that won't come back to bite me in the a-

"Hello, Briar Casey." Crap.

"What are you doing out in the rain, Ghetsis?" I asked, sounding more smart-alecky than I felt. Without Pokemon or 13-year-old karate masters, I was feeling pretty vulnerable, especially around this psycho. "Isn't this slowly ruining your_ fabulous _robe?" Though he didn't acknowledge the last part, he did clutch the ridiculous robe protectively.

"I'm hear to talk to you about something important, to Team Plasma and to me." Silence, probably meant for dramatic effect but it just made me wetter. "I want to talk to you about N." Well, now all I could think of was him and Dina not to long ago, kissing in the rain- oh, look, now the rain's stopped. Yippee.

"What about him?" I asked, not really concentrating since I still had that mental picture.

"I have big plans for N," Ghetsis explained, beginning to slowly walk towards me. I felt like I should back away, but didn't for some reason. "See, he's going to be a hero. It's what he was raised to be. The legendary dragon Reshiram shall choose him because of his ideals and his determination to free Pokemon." Now I was thinking about Dina's Yamask. Obviously, these ideals that Ghetsis spoke of were flawed, but I said nothing.

"Unfortunately, my plan has not been going as smoothly as I would like," he continued, his voice scarier now. I continued to look him in the eye, but it was getting hard. "It was so simple: raise him to be a hero, send him on a quick Pokemon journey when he was sixteen, have him defeat the champion, and trainers would respect his authority and release their Pokemon. So, so simple. But there have been complications."

"Oh, yippee!" I chirped sarcastically, grinning again. "I'm a complication."

"That's where you're right, Briar Casey," Ghetsis laughed, smiling as well. "And what a complication you've been! I admit, I never suspected that someone could disrupt plans as you have. Not only have you repeatedly foiled Team Plasma plans throughout Unova, but you've also sufficiently distracted N from his duties, to the point where I begin to worry about the success of his mission!"

"Well, as honored as I am, _I'm _not the one distracting N." Wait, what are you saying, me? "In fact, I've been feeling a bit like a third wheel lately." Arceus, shut up!

"Is that so?" Ghetsis asked, cocking his brow and holding up his hand. "Please, explain."

_That's cool _I thought. _You're right. Please, continue talking about how awesome I am in steering your adopted son or whatever away from his ridiculous ideals as well as kick all your grunts' butts._

"I'm saying that you just missed a make-out session between N and my best friend Dina, a trainer," was what came out. Ghetsis' eyebrows shot up. "It was awesome. Like, he caught a Pokemon for her- yeah, you heard me- and then she just kinda showed up after I beat Skyla. It was the sweetest love confession, Ghetsis. It would've brought a tear to your eye."

It was then, after my mouth said the complete opposite of what it was supposed to, that I acknowledged my surroundings. And that was the Shadow Triad, too close for comfort, looking ready to grab me. Ghetsis was holding up his hand. That was a signal.

"Crap," I muttered.

"New target!" Ghetsis shouted, and the four of them disappeared in a flash of smoke. After a horrible coughing fit (as if I wasn't having enough of those already), I fumbled around my pockets, looking for my Xtransceiver. After what seemed like an eternity, I had it in my grip and was calling Jazelle. I hope this thing's waterproof...

"Hello?"

"Jazelle!" I shouted, excited by her voice after a few suspenseful rings. "Where are Dina and N?"

"Uh, I think that they went for a walk. Hey, when'd you leave? You were supposed to stay here!"

"Oh, please, like you really cared! Anyway, so she's with N? Where'd they go?"

"How should I know?" Jazelle snapped. "I'm not keeping tabs on where they like to make out. Why are you so freaked out about it, anyway?" I stomped the ground and cursed before answering her.

"I... uh... saw Ghetsis in a state you don't want to see him in and... well... said some things that... I probably shouldn't have-"

"Out with it, Briar, Earl's joining Cilan in the bathroom now!"

"Ghetis is after Dina now and I don't know what he'll do if he finds her!" There was silence on the other line, except for the distinct sound of two certain idiots puking their guts out (were they turning it into a _contest_?)

"Well that's a problem."

"You bet your 13-year-old karate master butt it is! Now help me find them!"

"Uh, okay, I'll... meet you in front of the Pokemon Center."

"Okay, but that may take too long! It's the Shadow Triad we're talking about."

"Who the heck are the Shadow Triad?"

"Ugh, why are you not updated on Team Plasma! Never mind, I'll be there in a second." I stuffed my Xtransceiver in my pocket, hoping that Jazelle hung up. I was at the Pokemon Center in record time, where Jazelle was pacing nervously. Without even talking, the two of us headed towards the airport hangar, where the two shared their first kiss.

"Wait," Jazelle said, grabbing my arm, "they're not there."

"How do you know?" I asked, glancing around to see if they were around or not.

"Lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice," she explained. When she saw my confused expression, she sighed and added: "N woldn't take her back here. Trust me on this one." Even though I wasn't aware of her and N's adventures on the runway yet, I trusted her and we left the airport behind.

After that, we dashed around town, asking people that we saw if they'd see either N, Dina, Ghetsis, or the Shadow Triad. I didn't really expect answers on the Shadow Triad, but I was disappointed when no one really had any idea on the whereabouts of N and Dina.

"They must be on Route 7," Jazelle observantly pointed out when we were done searching the the city. "What do we do-" Suddenly, her little body tensed and she looked from left to right. After a moment of stillness, she spun around and kicked a dumpster as hard as she could. Team Rocket grunts rushed out from behind it, covering their ears.

"Who the heck are you?" Jazelle demanded.

"Team Rocket?" I asked curiously.

"Giovanni wants to know if there is something we could help you with," one of the grunts answered, messing with his ear.

"Yes! Oh Arceus, yes!" I said excitedly. "Listen, my friend's in trouble and needs our help. She's super short, has really long brown hair in a hat, and is probably walking with a tall guy with green hair in a ponytail. The people we should be worrying about all look the same and they look like ninjas. If we find them, you have to keep them _away from her_. Got it?"

"We'll look for them," another grunt agreed, this one seeming fine. It was then that I felt Jazelle tugging on my coat sleeve.

"Hey, have we called her yet?" Everything seemed to slow down as we realized the depth of our stupidity.

"Oh, we're so stupid!" I exclaimed as I whipped out my Xtransceiver and dialed Dina's number. There was ring, this one even longer than Jazelle's... then another...

"Hello?"

"Arceus, Dina, are you okay?" I questioned urgently.

"Uh, yeah. Why? Is everything okay with you? Arceus, I knew I should've stayed, Earl's throwing up now, isn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not why I called. But you should start heading back to the Pokemon Center. Where are you?"

"A little bit into Route 7 with N. What's wrong, Briar? Why do you sound so worried?"

"It's a long story, Dina, that I honestly would rather not tell you. Just... meet Jazelle and I at the entrance to Route 7. And I might have a few... friends. Don't be surprised if you seem some guys with us. And hurry!"

"Um, alright. See you there, I guess."

"Just hurry!" I hung up and everyone was looking at me expectantly. "They're on Route 7 and I told them to meet us at the entrance. Team Rocket, you go on ahead as fast as you can and try to find them. Jazelle and I will head to the entrance normally." The grunts nodded and disappeared within seconds.

"Wait, that was Team Rocket?" Jazelle asked, her blue eyes full of disbelief.

"Yep."

"Wait, then Giovanni-"

"Yep. He's a nice guy, when you get to know him. Now let's go." I dragged a still disbelieving Jazelle along as she tried to work out how I got Team Rocket to be my ally, but I wasn't in an explaining mood. We arrived at the entrance to Route 7 quickly, and we continued inwards to see if we could meet the couple before then. Suddenly, Jazelle tensed up again and stopped us in our tracks. Then, she yanked herself free and dashed into the bushes, faster than I'd ever seen her (and that's saying something.)

"Well... okay." Deciding that Jazelle was now facing off against the Shadow Triad with Team Rocket, I hurried on ahead. Dina and N weren't far ahead. I let out a sigh of relief as I neared them, and found myself enveloping Dina in a hug.

"Uh... hi, Briar..."

"Come here, you crazy king you!" I chirped, pulling N into this uncharacteristic embrace. "Can't have you feeling jealous, now, can we?"

"I... guess not?" It was when N said this extremely unsure statement that I suddenly saw two grunts jump out of the bushes, wrestling with a member of the Shadow Triad. A couple more grunts were thrown from the same shrubs, a very angry ninja following them. He and I locked eyes for a moment, then they shifted to Dina.

And then he was slammed to the ground, this time by a fellow, thrown ninja. And proceeding these two was an even angrier Jazelle.

"Let's go guys," I said hurriedly, turning around and linking arms with both of them.

"What's gotten into you?" Dina asked, genuine concern in her voice.

"Nothing," I answered hastily, glancing back. The one Shadow Triad had just finished giving the two grunts a thorough, somehow silent, beating, but Jazelle looked far from done. She kicked one of them in the temple, then made a dash for another. I turned back around and yanked them ahead with such force that N's head was thrown back, and I saw his eyes widen from what must've been an epic battle commencing between Jazelle and the Shadow Triad. I, of course, didn't get to see.

"What's wrong?" Dina prodded urgently, worry etched in her pretty little face. "Is it Cilan and Earl? Are they okay?"

"No," I lied (well, it may not have been a lie). "They're sicker than a Pokemon that ate some bad poffins. We have to get to them quickly."

"What's going-" I silenced N with a boot to the foot, which was not a good method of shutting him up, considering that I needed him to move. I turned a corner and was able to see Jazelle through the trees. There was a punch and a roundhouse kick as she won. That's all I ever saw.

And then I saw a robed arm point something black and shiny at her back.

"Interfere again and I won't hesitate," I could hear Ghetsis say. Jazelle was still, as the rest of the world seemed to be. Then, one final quick act of the day, she dipped down, spun around, and slid across the mud. She easily snatched the pistol from him, slid around his robes, and had it pointed at his back in a second.

"Touch Dina and you'll wish you hadn't hesitated at all," she said darkly. Then, swiftly and nimbly, she stuffed the gun down his robe and ran into the woods.

I turned to Dina. She was looking ahead worriedly, not knowing what she would've seen if she just looked to her left.

I looked at N. His foot seemed to be healing quickly and he was now looking at me, confused. And I considered explaining. Telling him that his father- whatever Ghetsis was- just tried to kidnap his new girlfriend.

_But you're doing so well, he's switching sides without even knowing it_ my brain told me. _What good will it do to tell him that?_

And, for some reason, I listened and remained silent as I led them into the city and watched a tired, probably hurt Jazelle fall in step behind us.

**Author's Note: Thanks to risen truth ruthless lies for the basis of this chapter. Originally, it was Briar that they were going to kidnap, but I thought Dina would work better. So if you liked it, thank her. If you hated it, don't blame me XD**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	24. Chapter 21

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: -_-... risen truth ruthless lies... STOP GIVING ME IDEAS. But... IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. AHHH. And you should look up Seventh Sanctum on Google or something, just to see the depth of my compliment to you.**

**And THAT was what I was afraid of, afeleon276. Unfortunately, I'm not yet enlightened on the relations between foreign countries. At least you weren't terribly offended (were you?) If it makes you feel better, if someone asked me where Australia was, I'd say it was near New Zealand. And you're right, how **_**does **_**the Shadow Triad just disappear and reappear? I wanna do that, freaking ninjas...**

**I love you, Agent Walrus! Your reviews have correct grammar and are well written and make me feel good about myself! :) (And that's not a bad idea, flopping around in a suit like Magikarp, I bet those Poke Fan kids get great service...)**

**MUST. FIND. WAY. TO. PAY. FOR. B/W 2. Anyone know when you can preorder it?**

**Disclaimer: Dodgerjoey has yet to update me on the progress of this new world... I shall wait 'til then.**

Chapter 21

Because I'm Just That Angsty

Luckily, I was right. Skyla got better and had gone back to the gym, but Nurse Joy was freaking out when Dina, N, Jazelle, and I walked into the Pokemon Center, and seemed excited that someone related to the two puking gentlemen came to relieve her of her duty to watch them. N had to go in because they were in the boy's bathroom, and I'm sure Jazelle would've interrrogated me if it weren't for the fact that Dina was right next to us, worrying about her brother and his best friend. Finally, N came out.

"Earl says he wants you," he told Dina, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the bathroom.

"O-okay," Dina murmured, blushing as she shyly pushed the door open. The second it swung closed, Jazelle and N spun on me.

"So nice weather we're having, eh? Was raining earlier, but it seems nice now. Maybe there's even a rainbow." N and Jazelle did not dignify my attempt to change the unspoken subject with a response.

"So," N said darkly. "Team Rocket."

"Oh them?" I repeated innocently. "Yeah, we're buds. Giovanni and I have a few things in common. He said he'd send his guys to look after us- well, me- until he went back to Kanto."

"And you thought it'd be a good idea to strike up an alliance with him?" Jazelle prodded.

"Well I wasn't gonna do it with Team Plasma!" I snapped. "I didn't even ask. He just kinda said he'd spare some men to look out for me. And look- it came in handy, didn't it?"

"And I'm sure he'll be just as helpful when he steals your Pokemon," N sneered.

"Oh, says the guy that's the king of a prophetic organization that steals Pokemon from children and the elderly!" I shouted back. N's eyes widened and he looked away. Looks like I struck a nerve there.

"I just don't think it's a good idea," Jazelle said quietly.

"And I respect that. But like I said, I didn't even ask him. Giovanni just kinda sent his men, and they've already proven to be helpful. I don't really get why you're so angry."

"One does not simply strike up an alliance with Team Rocket," Jazelle replied in a wise voice so convincing that I almost believed her. My mouth shifted into a pout, which is the worst, for a second, then my normal frown returned.

"Giovanni doesn't like your weird Pokemon anyway," I said quietly, knowing that It would be almost the same as talking to Gracie. "Tell Cilan and Earl I hope they feel better." With that, I stopped by the desk, picked up my Pokemon, and left the Pokemon Center.

* * *

><p>I guess, being me, it was bound to happen eventually. I didn't really care that I left Jazelle and N and all my other sick friends back there. I was just feeling angsty and wanted to get away. I couldn't even let all my Pokemon out anymore, since Fenris and Tea evolved. When would the rest of them evolve, anyway? I hoped it was soon, it was kind of worrying that they were still so small.<p>

Forget (the only Pokemon I'd released) must've read my thoughts, because she nipped me on the leg and it HURT. Big things come in small packages, I suppose.

Luck seemed to be on my side, though. The fog had rolled in again, and I was able to avoid most of the trainers I saw (or kind of saw). Unfortunately, I didn't know where to go. I could see Celestial Tower looming in the distance... let's avoid that place at all costs... There's a mountain... there, perhaps? Suddenly, Sage jumped from a tree and landed in front of me. We had a stare-down for a moment before he motioned for Forget and I to follow him.

As I suspected, our destination was the mountain. It became clearer as we waded through the fog and, like the tower, it came suddenly in all it's immenseness. When Forget and I were thoroughly engrossed in the mountain and all it's glory, Sage decided that it was safe to scamper off to wherever he goes when he wasn't helping us.

"Big mountain, huh?"

"HOLY SH-"

"Shh, I'm not done! Did you know that, like the mueseum, this is the only large, in-the-way mountain in Unova?" Cilan looked at me expectantly, obviously knowing the answer.

"Uh... no... Weren't you soiling the toilets in the Pokemon Center, like, an hour ago?" He shrugged.

"I was always the first to heal when me and my brothers got sick. Anyway, I got out of the bathroom- poor Earl, he was still sick- and noticed you weren't there, so I asked Jazelle and N. Neither of them seemed very happy with you, did you know that?" The expression on my face must've given away the fact that yes, I did. "Okay, you did. So I kinda assumed that you'd be coming this way. Luckily, I didn't have to fight everyone, since they all knew I was a gym leader. And then I found you, gawking at Twist Mountain as if it were a delicious danish in a bakery window."

"Nice to know you're still making food similes," I said sarcastically, digging my hands into my pockets. "Well, shall we go? Hopefully, I'm as lucky as you are and the trainers won't want to battle me because they think I'm awesome."

"Hello Briar!"

"Oh, is someone else coming?" I asked Cilan as I looked behind us.

"I don't think so," he replied, furrowing his brow. "Like I said, N and Jazelle seemed mad at you- N should've left by now to do Team Plasma things, though-, and Dina is still trying to comfort Earl."

"Up here!" Cilan and I looked up at Twist Mountain, and for a second the clouds parted and revealed the moon, and I thought the tip of the mountain was so high it could touch it.

If that was the case, Alder must be the man in the moon, because he jumped from a ledge and landed squarely in front of Cilan and I.

"Ouch," I murmured.

"I shall now repeat myself: Hello, Briar!" the Champion bellowed.

"Hey, Alder," I greeted back, slightly timidly.

"Oh, and if it isn't Cilan!" he continued, walking over to my companion and giving him a slap on the back. And judging by Alder's muscles, Cilan's general weakness, and the sickening _smack _that rang throughout the route upon impact, it was a _painful_ backslap. "How's one of the three gym leaders of Striaton?"

"G-G-Good, sir," he replied, appearing as if he desperately wanted to relieve his back of the pain it was in but not wanting to appear weak in front of his superior.

"That's good to hear," he said, giving another, gentler backslap (Cilan still visibly cringed) before coming over to me. "And how are you doing, Casey? Have you run into any more Galvantula nests?"

"No, but I did catch the cuter version of one, had someone confess his love for someone else to me, had a bell read my mind, catch a candle, beat Skyla while evolving two of my Pokemon, watch as said confesser confessed his love to the girl he actually _did _love-"

"I was there for that!"

"Yes. Cilan was there for that. Where was I? Oh, right, then I kept his new girlfriend from getting kidnapped-"

"Wait, what?"

"Long story cake boy I'll tell you later. And... now I'm here. So there."

"Well you seem to have been up to a lot!" he laughed, a laugh that resounded from every organ in his body and filled Route 7 up with it's boisterous-ness and general happiness. "Have you found the person that I can never beat?"

"No. But honestly, I haven't really been looking."

"Eh, that's fine. I'm sure that you'll beat me soon enough and then I'll tell you."

"Well thanks for that bout of confidence, Alder," I said, sounding stoic but meaning it.

"You're welcome. Now go on through Twist Mountain, I've got some business in the city." With that, Alder sprinted away at a speed that shouldn't have worked for someone his size. Cilan crumbled and leaned against the tree, yelling about how his back would never be straight again. Not wanting to hear that all the way through the mountain, I sat down and released my Pokemon so he could finish.

* * *

><p>The fog had rolled out and the sun was beginning to rise by the time Cilan finished lamenting about his new back problems. Luckily, my Pokemon and I were quickly able to get used to it and take a nap, but Cilan woke us up by making his Timburr bang on the tree we were leaning against with his log. Now I understood why Dina and Earl were so grumpy that day.<p>

"Are you sure we should go in?" he asked as we ascended the pathway to get to the entrance. "It's nighttime and we'll have an even harder time seeing."

"Say's the guy that turned the forest into an instrument for the sole purpose of waking me up," I snapped. "Suck it up, we're going."At least he knew better than to question me at that point. So we continued on into the mountain, and almost immediately we were shrouded in darkness when we entered. "Just another reason to hate my life!"

"Hey! Who are ya and whadya doin' here?" Well I'd recognize that cowboy lango anywhere.

"You didn't realize it was me even after I said my catch phrase, Clay?"

"Oh, that you, Briar? I thought that there statement had too much emotion fer ya."

"I have emotion! I just don't like to use it. Hey, can you turn the lights on?" There was a chuckle from the darkness further on, and it was quite honestly the most terrifying thing I'd ever heard.

"Sure. If that's what ya really want me to do." With that, a bunch of electric lights came on around us and blinded me more than all the rocks in Chargestone Cave combined. I really hoped Clay knew that girly scream came from Cilan and not me.

"Just another reason to hate my life!" I exclaimed, this time with even more emotion, just for the cowboy.

"Well that's what ya asked fer, missy!" he laughed, his laugh similar to Alder's but with less... impact, maybe? "Now come 'ere, I don't bite!"

"I'm not sure about that," Cilan murmured as we made our way through the now brilliantly lit path.

"Well, if it ain't one of them triplets!" Clay said. "Which one are ya, now?"

"I'm Cilan. I'm the grass trainer."

"Right, right, grass." Now that he knew Cilan could beat him, Clay seemed more inclined to talk to me. "And how 'bout you, Briar? How've ya been?"

"I just explained it all to Alder, I don't want to again."

"That's okay. Say, all the gym leaders- well, except _this _gym leader- have been meetin' 'bout this Team Plasma. We're tryin' ta figure out a way ta keep 'em from stealin' any more Pokemon."

"Or killing them," I added, knowing that he of all people would know what I meant.

"Yeah. That to. Anyway, we've been tryin' ta track their location, and it seems like they're in Iccirus, right through this here mountain. Now how they got through my mountain without my knowin', I don't know and I'd rather not think 'bout. But if that's where they are..."

"I'll kick them out," I finished.

"Exactly!" he laughed again. "Now go on. I'll tell my boys to light this mountain up like a Christmas tree so ya'll can get through."

"Thanks, Clay. See you around."

"He's always scared me," Cilan explained after the gym leader ran on ahead.

"That doesn't surprise me. Now let's go; trainers may not be out here yet since it's so early. "

**Author's Note: Yay! SkullChicka found my Black Version! Now I can play it and actually know what's going on while I write!**

**I've also been playing through Diamond again (but I can't find my Pearl, which is kind of worrying because it has all my old Pokemon on it), and I've been enjoying it. I'm playing it like it's a fanfiction, where my guy is responding to everything the poeple say. He's kinda like Briar, as I've found out. **

**AND MY MOMMY SAID SHE'D GET ME B/W 2 FOR CHRISTMAS! YAYYY!**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!**


	25. Chapter 21 and a Half

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: I hope none of you take offense at this, but I've been in a bit of a bad mood lately (explains lack of updates) and the fact that I can't watch anime right now on my laptop since my video's screwed up doesn't make me feel any better, and I don't feel like thanking you wonderful people individually. So... thanks to Agent Walrus, risen truth ruthless lies, and Dodgerjoey (and Yorick) for reviewing. Double thanks to Agent Walrus since, well... he reviewed twice. (Your grammar was fine, though. I didn't see anything wrong. Or maybe I'm just a failure at recognizing bad grammar... AHHH THIS DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL BETTER.)**

**Anyway, my angsty emotions might come in handy, since this chapter is a bit angstier than most. And it's going to be short, since I just haven't entirely felt like writing. Not even, like, no inspiration. It's more like lack of motivation. Unless you guys want to praise me incessantly and make me not feel so depressed and demotivated *looks innocently to the side*...**

**Dad's response when I say I wouldn't mind him buying me a new pair of headphones: Sure, I'll get them right after I preorder Pokemon Black and White 2 for you! (IT'S CONFIRMED! AHHHH!)**

**Disclaimer: I'm in the mood for gambling. Heads for Dodgerjoey being the king of ghosts/darkness in the new world, tails for Yorick... Sorry. No coins. **

Chapter 21 and a 1/2

Starring Briar and Ci- Wait, Never Mind

Hey, would you look at that. I'm actually in one of these half chapter things. Normally, these are just filled with Jazelle teaching N some kind of lesson in the most dangerous ways lessons could be taught. I wonder how she'd be as a teacher, or maybe a counselor...

Anyway, the stars of this chapter are Cilan and I as we navigate the treacherous Twist Mountain, me knowing that two of my best friends were mad at me in the nearest town, Cilan afraid that the scary cowboy Clay would jump out any minute and scare the crap out of everyone. There were no trainers, probably because the Sun had hardly risen. What we didn't know was that we were about to embark on journey to a place of sight and sound, of emotion and fear. We'd just entered... the Twist Zone. **(A/N: DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO!)**

"So Cilan," I said dismissively, as if I didn't really care. "Tell me about your life."

"Uh, well, Earl and I didn't spike the Move Deleter's daily bottle of sparkling water, if that's what you mean..."

"Alright, so I'll need to take the blame for that later. Good to know. But no, that's not what I mean. Like... how was life before you came with us?"

"Oh," Cilan said, surprised. "Well... as you know, me and my brothers ran a restaurant. We all cooked, but I was definitely the best chef."

"Yeah. I'd gotten that when you said it for the fifth time."

"Sorry, my cooking is something that I take great pride in," Cilan answered, a big grin on his face. It disappeared as he looked down and kicked a rock a few feet ahead. "But to answer your question, I didn't do much else. Cooking was really my life. I mean, I guess I trained, and I liked going to the Dreamyard, and sometimes I spied on Fennel to make sure she wasn't dissecting a live human being, but it wasn't anything really fun."

"I don't know what you're smoking, that sounds pretty fun to me."

"But it wasn't!" By now, we'd caught up to the rock and he kicked it even further this time. "It was boring. The same stuff I'd always done. I mean, it wasn't like she was _really _ever dissecting people..."

"I'd never thought I'd hear that phrased in a bad way."

"Context, dear Briar, context. Anyway, besides cooking, there were few things that I really looked forward too."

"Pssh! Try living in Nuvema." By now, I was getting tired of Cilan's complaining and decided to do some whining of my own. "Or even better, try living in the greatest place ever and then move to Nuvema. It's is practically a ghost town. The city council is Mrs. Baldridge ranting to a couple of Patrat's about her husband. I'm pretty sure that everyone from there was related in some way. It was like someone took a freaking country song and made it into a place."

"But at least you had Gracie."

"What- oh, yeah! I had forgotten that you said you'd known Gracie."

"Yeah." That was it. 'Yeah.'

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to tell me about her?" Cilan stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away.

"Why? You were her best friend. You must've known her pretty well." Cue, defensive.

"I knew her perfectly well!" I snapped. "I knew her every dream and every flaw."

"You didn't know I knew her," Cilan pointed out, the same smile from before.

"She looked up to Professor Juniper," I began angrily. "Her dream was to become the next Professor Pokemon of Unova. That's why she loved it when Forget ran, because she liked to continually record her speed stat. She was candid and poise. She could've been anything and become successful, even a trainer, but she hated seeing Pokemon get hurt. She loved small town life, perhaps a bit too much." Cilan remained quiet. I gulped. "She was a dreamer. Normally, that's not bad, but it was in her case. She was never firmly planted in real life. She was optimistic and beautiful, never seeing anything bad for what it was. It was a noble effort. A mistake on their part. But never bad. And, without knowing, she kept everyone saddled where they were. We all loved her, couldn't let our Gracie, pretty and delicate as a porcelain doll, get hurt. But she never wanted to leave. So no one ever left."

"You did a great job," Cilan said quietly. I couldn't even see his face; it was turned completely away from me.

"Her favorite flowers were Forget-Me-Nots. Not because she thought they were particularly pretty, she just liked the name. I never understood that until her pretty, dreaming, saddling, porcelain self went to Accumula on an errand for her hero and never came back."

"What does it mean, then?" Cilan asked. Genuinely curious. And I was genuinely silent. "Why did she like Forget-Me-Nots so much?"

"I..." Then there was a terrible... _crash!_

* * *

><p>I know what you're thinking. "This is boring." "This is sad." "It's all about death and 'learning'." And since I know this isn't a good time to say "Suck it up, babies!", I'll instead leave you hanging there and switch to the funny guys back in Mistralton that I'm sure you've all been going through withdrawl for.<p>

Dina was still consoling a sick Earl in the men's room, and N and Jazelle were having some time to think about all the mean things they said to me.

"She's so stupid," N said, his face in his hands. Okay, screw that.

"Maybe not," Jazelle murmured. "I can kind of see where she's coming from." Whose the best, you can never tell, unless of course you count Jazelle! Watch as I mentally wave pom poms and do backflips.

"It's the stupidest thing she could do!" N retorted. N, N, he's our man, if he can't do it GREAT.

"Hey," Jazelle fired back. "My mom was from Kanto. She was always saying that she missed it and the Pokemon. She had a hard time finding merchandise from home, much less people!"

"Oh, right, Briar wants some of Kanto so she chooses its biggest crime lord!"

"No offense, N, but you're being a-"

"BASTIODON!" yelled someone from deeper within the Pokemon Center. Jazelle shook her head and resumed.

"I mean, if you were stuck in a place you didn't even like, wouldn't you want as much of home as possible?"

"Well... I guess so..."

"Briar was desperate for a peice of Kanto-" got that right, Jazzy "- and she grasped whatever straws she could. Who knows? Maybe Giovanni was feeling the same way. I heard he had a nephew or something not much younger than me, maybe Briar reminded him of him."

"For some reason, I doubt that."

"Still, two desperate people are good for each other... Okay, forget everything I just said. Basically, both of them missed home, Giovanni so much so that he made sure Briar stayed safe, Briar so much so that she accepted the help. Like a business exchange among homesick people."

"Alright, alright, so we shouldn't have treated her like that," N said guiltily. "But what do we do about it now?"

"We have to catch up to her!" Jazelle exclaimed, jumping up and down. **(A/N: Ahh! My iPod just died! Just another reason to hate my life!... Sorry. Went all Briar on you there.)** "Come on, we've gotta hurry up if we wanna catch up to her and Cilan!"

"But what about Dina?" N asked worriedly, turning towards the bathroom.

"Don't you all be too concerned for Earl at once," Jazelle said flatly. "You can write her a mushy goodbye letter, promising that you'll see her again even if Arceus itself forbids it, but that you've gotta _go_!"

"Well, okay, do you have a peice of paper-"

"No time! Let's go!"

"Wait, but you just said-" Jazelle didn't let N finish repeating her, but instead grabbed his wrist and yanked him out the door so they could deliver their heartfelt apology to me.

* * *

><p>Alright, I bet the suspense has just been killing you, hasn't it? It hasn't? Too bad, we're back to the serious stuff.<p>

Now where were we?

Oh, right.

And then there was a terrible... _crash!_

A colossal rock slammed to the ground, a few feet away from where Cilan and I were having our intense discussion about dead friends. I recognized it from a poster at the Pokemon Center. Boldore, was it? Aw, just a Graveler knock-off. Still, it scared the crap out of Cilan and I enough to make us jump and almost touch the ceiling. All was silent for a few moments after we'd landed, but Boldore didn't want it to stay that way. He started roaring and stomping his feet, which looked especially good for crushing people today.

"LET OUT A POKEMON, WOMAN!" Cilan screamed as the Boldore looked more and more ready to charge. I grabbed the first Poke Ball on my belt: Forget.

"Forget! Kill it! I don't care how, just make it go away!" Forget dashed at the Boldore, using a couple of Razor Leaf's and then Vine Whipping him while he was blinded. But it didn't work. He brushed off the attacks as if they were mere slaps and proceeded to try and crush Forget. She weaved in between his feet, using all her attacks as she tried to keep him away from us.

And it was only then that I noticed her glow. Glow for a split second, so short a time that you wouldn't notice if all your senses weren't enhanced by adrenaline, followed by a wince and another useless attack.

Her body wanted to evolve, but Forget-Me-Not wanted otherwise.

"You have to evolve!" I found myself yelling. Forget looked at me as if I was crazy. "You have to evolve! You're not strong enough now!"

_But this is how Gracie wanted me! _It was clear as day, as if she was speaking English, and it was all through her eyes. I'd understood her.

"Gracie is dead!" I screamed. "Gracie is dead and you're not her's anymore! You're my Snivy, I am your trainer, and I command that you _don't let us die!_" Forget's eyes saddened, and I bet tears would've fallen if the glowing hadn't commenced and she evolved.

"Servine," Cilan breathed as the glowing ceased and Forget turned to the Boldore angrily. With power and speed I hadn't seen from her before, she dashed underneath the Pokemon, using Vine Whip and Razor Leaf at the same time, and slid out before his unconcious body crushed her.

Forget trotted up to me, taller than the Snivy I'd fallen in love with. She was darker and even more serious-looking than before. Still regal. Still beautiful. I found myself on the ground, hugging her neck, and whispering in her ear the same way her original owner had done for me.

"I've called you Forget so much that I think you're beginning to do it," I said soothingly. "You're name is Forget-Me-Not, chosen by Graciela Pope, because there are many things that you couldn't forget if you tried, and that flower embodied their spirit."

**Author's Note: Awwww... Okay, not to toot my own horn or anything, but this turned out a lot better than I expected. So there's some character development for Cilan, as well as the girl that's been dead since the first sentence. Hope you liked it :)**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	26. Chapter 22

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: OH MY- AHHHHH! You are mistaken, afeleon276, it IS a big deal, but thanks for trying to make me feel better. I was wrong, I AM a stupid American, calling Servine Serviper and not knowing that Australia and New Zealand are rivals! Please forgive me and my ignorance! *dramatically swoons***

**As you can probably see, my crippling depression has transformed into genreal theatrics.**

**I *head-desk* AM *head desk* SO *head desk* STUPID *head desk*. You're a girl. You tell me I have great grammar, one of the best compliments someone could pay me, and I say you're a guy. I- AHHH! *head desk again, for good measure* And your interpretation of psychiatrist Jazelle was AWESOME! It almost makes me reconsider her career choice in the sequel XD**

**Sorry, risen truth ruthless lies. I was just so focused on my ignorance in regard to my readers that I was determined to express it first. And I dunno... does the human generator have any ideas for Forget's new form? XD... Please don't. I might get busted for plagarism if I use any more of your ideas.**

**One more thing: I was wondering if you had any favorite quotes from this story. Just, anything that stuck out to you. I'm putting bios together and I like to include at least one quote that describes a character's personality. PLEASE review and tell me, I'd really appreaciate it :)**

**One one more thing: SkullChicka, I bet you fifty bucks that you're not gonna read this before I update again. And possibly again. And again.**

**One one more thing: speaking of SkullChicka, she finally gave me my Black version back! So I'll try to play through that and keep it as close to the story as possible.**

**Alright, just stop trusting me: OH MY SWEET GOODNESS I NEED B/W 2 LIKE RIGHT NOWWW. Except I don't need that voice actor for N... he just sounded funky. RIVAL RAGE!**

**Just ignore everything I say: Oh my gosh, Fennel's so pretty! And... she and Amanita are SISTERS?! I really need to do more research when I write Fanfiction. Wait, that entire sentence was an oxymoron... you don't need to research! It's Fanfiction!**

***troll face*:... this one's just to annoy you :} emoticon troll face**

**Dislaimer: Coin, coin... no coin, just dice. Odd for Yorick, even for Joey... FIVE. YORICK. Don't worry Joey, you can rule another type.**

Chapter 22

The Disappearance of N Harmonia

While she _can_ work with Fennel for a few years, and teach clueless kings how to act normal, and utterly destroy anyone who stands in her way, Jazelle was not one to stay as energetic as she was before.

"N!" Jazelle moaned just when Twist Mountain came into sight. "I'm _tired_!"

"You were the one that dragged us out of the Pokemon Center so we could get to Briar faster," an irritated N countered. "Are you saying you were _wrong_?"

"I am _never _wrong!" Jazelle yelled, pointing dramatically at the sky. "I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken."

"Good to know," N said flatly. "But I guess if you're that tired, you can rest for a minute." And rest Jazelle did. In fact, she basically fell down where she was and started sleeping. In her defense, she had almost single-handedly destroyed the legendary Shadow Triad not long before, and she was only thirteen, and it was super early in the morning. N sighed, smiled, picked up her small body, and laid it against a tree. After that, he walked around to the other side and joined her in slumber.

He was awoken very soon after by a sharp pain in his shoulder.

"What the- ahh!" N turned his head and came face -to-face with a dart, which he angrily pulled out. "What the heck, Shadow Triad?"

"Forgive us, Lord N." All three appeared and were bowing. "Ghetsis commands your presence."

"Well you can tell Ghetsis that I'm busy," N replied, irritated again. He was beginning to see what Dina meant when she said that I was always acting like I just woke up. "I'll meet everyone in Iccirus or something." N closed his eyes and began to settle down again, but he was woken up once more with a hard grip on his arm.

"He _commands _it," the ninja said. N stared back defiantly before pulling away.

"Well then you can remind him that _I'm _the king." Even behind the masks, N could see their surprise. And he liked it.

"Lord N, we-"

"TELL THAT PATRAT THAT IT CAN KISS MY... kiss my... hmmm..." Everyone's head snapped in Jazelle's direction, but she simply turned over in her sleep. When N turned back around, he noticed that the Shadow Triad was a few feet back.

"Speaking of Jazelle doing things I don't understand," he began, "why were you fighting earlier?"

"That's classified."

"Mmhmm. And how about how she was totally owning you?"

"... That's classified."

"Right," he said flatly, closing his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to wait for her so we can talk to Briar."

"Lord N." N opened one of his eyes, irritated. "Ghetsis _commands_ it. It is time." Suddenly, both eyes were open.

"Like... _the _time?"

"Yes." Well now there was pause. N peeked behind the tree; Jazelle was sleeping peacefully.

"I-"

"I am fairly certain that she can take care of herself, Lord N." He sighed again.

"You're right. Fine." N slowly got up and stretched before following the Shadow Triad.

"Mmm... N...?" Everyone turned around and the Shadow Triad tensed as a groggy Jazelle woke up and looked at them.

"This is a dream, Jazelle," N said casually. "In a second, a bunch of Tranquil will appear and start singing a song about how great you are." Jazelle closed her eyes and smiled.

"Of course they are. I'm... awesome..." Then she lay her head down on the grass and went to sleep again, and N followed the Shadow Triad to wherever he was supposed to go.

* * *

><p>Forget and I stayed like that, clutching each other, for a while. The sun was shining through the entrance of the cave, indicating that the sun was fully up and that the trainers were probably up and about. But still we stayed there, Cilan leaning against the wall (probably trying to pay me back since I waited for hours when he was whining about his back). It was a nice moment, like I was finally able to comfort someone like Gracie comforted me. Like, in that moment, everything seemed to-<p>

"Yo, Briar, Cilan, where are you?" And, moment ruined. We all still stayed in the same position, though. "Oh, there you are OH SWEET ARCEUS. Cilan, didn't you tell me that you thought Dina was the hot one?" Wait, _what_? "Oh, wait you're right there. Why're you so pale all the sudden? Anyway, whose Briar hugging then OH SWEET ARCEUS AGAIN FORGET EVOLVED. Man, I've just been missing everything!"

"Wonderful to see you again, Jazelle," I said stoically as I sat up and returned Forget. "And Cilan, I wonder what N would do next time you and Earl needed evil prophetic organizations to swoop in and save your butts if I told him what I just learned?"

"... Please don't."

"Speaking of N," Jazelle continued, not seeming to catch on to our implicit conversation, "he and I came here to apologize to you- we were being jerks, sorry- but I can't find him now. Weird, huh?" I cocked my head.

"What do you mean, can't find him?"

"Like, we were running over here, but I got tired and laid down to take a nap. And when I woke up, he wasn't there!" A few thoughts occured to me at this moment, but I chose the one that seemed the most important to ask first.

"What about Dina and Earl?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. They're at the hospital. But we didn't tell them where we were going... and we didn't leave a note... okay, you can worry a little bit."

"Uh-huh. And..." I knew there was something useful that I could be asking to help with our missing N situation, but it took a minute for it to come to me. "Did you have any dreams?"

"Oh, the _best_! My mom was there, and it was back up north where I used to live, and there was this hot guy named Ryan- there are a lot of hot guys named Ryan, have you noticed?"

"Yeah, great, but was N in any of your dreams?"

"Oh, let's see... Well, there was that one where they threw a parade in my honor. He was at the beginning. He said that I was dreaming and that a bunch of Tranquil were about to start singing about how awesome I was. It started out like that, and then there were dancing Krokoroks, and all the gym leaders were bowing down right before Ryan-" she stopped when she saw the looks on our faces. "The rest isn't important. But yeah, N was there." Unsurprisingly, me and my shrewd mind were able to figure out that her dream N might not be her dream N at all.

"I see. And was anyone with N in this dream?" Jazelle scratched her chin for a second, straining to remember.

"Hey, you know what? I think those guys that were trying to kidnap Dina were there too. What were they called? The Darkness Triangle?"

"Someone tried to kidnap Dina?!" Cilan exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, that was awhile ago. But the Shadow Triad was with N? That doesn't sound very good."

"It might be okay," Jazelle remarked. "After all, they're Team Plasma, and doesn't Team Plasma _like_ N?"

"Yeah, they do," I agreed. "Now, what were you saying? That you were _wrong_?"

"I am _never_ wrong!" Jazelle shouted, dramatically pointing at the ceiling of the cave. "Hey, Briar, we're going to Iccirus, right? There are a bunch of Mienfoo here. Ming can finally be with her species." Ming, the only Pokemon that hadn't given up her spot outside her Poke Ball, poked her head out of my pocket excitedly.

* * *

><p>Almost immediately upon exiting the cave we came across none other than Professor Juniper, Sr. It wasn't raining this time, however, so I had to mentally stop calling him the personified Rain Dance.<p>

"Hey, Briar!" he greeted. "Who're your friends?"

"Hey Juniper," I replied casually, hoping to impress Cilan and Jazelle since they hadn't met him yet. "This is Cilan and Jazelle. He's one of the Striaton gym leaders."

"Nice to meet you," he said in a fatherly way. He then turned to Jazelle. "And you... you remind me of someone somewhere. Do I know your father or mother?"

"Not my mother," she guaranteed, "but my father's a possiblity, if you're a Juniper."

"Well I'm glad to meet both of you," he said, once again, in a fatherly way complete with a fatherly smile. It made me miss my dad. He used to have a smile like that, but more serious and less goofy. I guess it was a more Kantonian smile. "Anyway, I was just in town looking at Dragonspiral Tower. Did I tell you about that, Briar?"

"I think so."

"Good. You should meet me there, once you're done doing whatever you need to do."

"I'd love to," I replied, finding that I not only meant it but was excited. Cilan and Jazelle gasped when I smiled. They must've not seen me do it before. What can I say, I'm a sucker for anything paternal (ex: Clyde.)

"We should go to the Pokemon Center," Cilan suggested. "In case Forget got any damage." We all agreed that this was a good idea, and that it'd be bad if Forget died right after she evolved. They laughed as if it was a joke. I stared ahead, watching Seary's eyes roll to the back of her head for the billionth time. This only made our voyage to the Pokemon Center quicker.

When we got inside, we had to do the standard waiting around while Nurse Joy checked out Forget. We were starting to get _really _bored when an old guy walked over to us, somewhat shadily. I was ready to pull out the pepper spray until I heard what he had to say.

"Forgive my intrusion," he said in a very proper voice, "but do you happen to have any ore?"

"Ore?" I questioned, furrowing my brow. "What do you mean?"

"Rocks, gems, anything! I love it all." He seemed to think he was too loud during the first sentence, because his volume decreased greatly in the following.

"So... you want to buy our rocks?"

"If they're worth buying." Okay. I hadn't fought some trainers in a while, and I could use a nice meal, I'll just go outside and scoop up some shiny gravel-

"How about this?"

"Holy crap, Cilan, where'd you get an entire gold nugget?!" I exclaimed. Luckily, the loud bell on the door rang at that moment and I was mostly drowned out.

"Found it." Sweet Arceus, he sounded serious.

"Remarkable!" Mineral Man said as he examined the chunk of shiny rock. "This is absolutely wonderful! How much? Name your price and we can negotiate." Cilan's brow cocked and his mouth twitched into a smile.

"Name your price? Three of my favorite words."

"WAIT." The surprisingly loud order came from Jazelle, who was rummaging through her small messenger bag. "Don't start bartering yet." In a moment she pulled out three Nuggets, on Big Pearl, two Pearls, two Water Stones, one Leaf Stone, a Fire Stone, and an Everstone. "Okay. We can start now."

"Wait, whoa whoa whoa!" Everyone turned to me, irritated that I was interrupting their little market session. "Since when do you guys have so many valuable stones?"

"I've been saving this," Cilan answered, admiring the Nugget. "Got it from Chili in a bet. Said a couple of trainers would be making out by nightfall. He didn't think so. Either way, I 'accidentally' mixed up their orders with the anniversary meal. They left the gym together. He didn't have any cash, so he paid me in this. Been waiting to see how much I could get for it." My eyes drifted to Jazelle.

"Same here. Except I got these in a number of ways. Let's see, this Big Pearl I got from a motorcycle gang leader when I dared him to arm wrestle me. He didn't win."

"Oh, dear," Mineral Man muttered.

"As entertaining as that sounds, maybe another time," I replied.

"Right! On with the bargaining!" I heard their unreasonably high starting prices, but I kinda zoned out after that. I noticed the Poke Mart guys giving us the evil eye, and I could tell that they were the reason Mineral Man was trying to be quiet at first (the pleasantly low volume dissipated after a few seconds of those three trying to get a good deal). I found that I could tell a lot of things in those zoned-out minutes. Looking at the counter, I noticed a bored Audino that I could tell knew very well that a Chansey should be standing where it was. Looking at the window beyond, I could tell Forget's check-up was almost done. Out the window, I could tell those kids dancing were just dancing for the fun of it, not because they were some sort of demon worshippers (and thank Arceus I was right in that aspect.)

Then I saw Dragonspiral Tower, where Juniper Sr. was, and I could _really _tell something was going to go down there pretty soon.

**Author's Note: Yay! I hope this isn't incredibly short. I can't tell on WordPad.**

**SkullChicka was finally able to give me my game back. Not that she'll be reading this to know I talked about her XD (Don't worry ya'll, I've been shaming her into tomorrow so she reads it again, and I think I'm almost there.)**

**Update after edit: Whoops, already mentioned Prussia giving my game back. Oh well, more words. BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	27. Chapter 22 and a Half

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: XD Thanks, afeleon276. And I've had pavlava before. It was really yummy, but I didn't know where it came from. If anyone ever says that it came from Australia, I'll correct them :)**

**And yes, risen truth ruthless lies, thus begins the beginning of the end... I bet there's some awesome quote that I could use here but I don't know any. But yeah, pretty smooth sailing, this probably being the last "and a Half" chapter. But speaking of quotes, finger wag! Don't be so absent-minded!... Just kidding I am too. I couldn't think of a quote for my own characters XD**

**But that's what Agent Walrus is for! Thank you very much for all of those. I can't believe... I forgot her catch phrase... *head desk :}* **

**WAIT OH MY GOSH I HAVE FIFTY REVIEWS. *throws confetti and has a party* Every reviewer is invited! Except that one guy asked what mortal opposite was. Despite the fact that that might have been the worst thing he had to say about the story, which is good.**

**Disclaimer: Oh no! Dodgerjoey hasn't been reviewing! It's okay, you can rule darkness or ghost-types or whatever it was, just please come back!**

Chapter 22 and a Half

Jazelle Teaches N the Importance of Being Honest

I had a Fire-type and and a Fighting-type that needed training for the next Ice-type gym, why the heck was I sitting in the Pokemon Center watching Cilan and Jazelle and their new best friend barter over rocks? I eventually left, leaving them alone and them not realizing I was gone at all.

And I bet you're so excited to hear about my adventures. Well, I went to the Pokemon Fan Club place and learned that all my Pokemon thought I was awesome. Then I went to the entrance to Dragonspiral Tower and Ming met her long-lost sister- oh, wait, what's that? I'm extremely boring and you'd rather read what Jazelle and Cilan did with N? Well, okay. Traitors.

After about three hours of loudly bartering over a couple of rocks (nice job being inconspicuous, Mineral Man), they all finally settled on what seemed like a good deal. After that, they spent what must've been another thirty minutes thanking each other for the wonderful deals that they got, thank you for selling, no, thank _you _for buying. I'm so glad I wasn't there. I might've been sick.

Anyway, as suspected, the two sat there for about two seconds before they got bored.

"Hey, where's Briar?" Cilan asked. Thank you, Cilan, for being concerned about my whereabouts.

"I dunno," Jazelle replied, leaning back and sinking into the chair. "Probably training for the gym or something. Go see if she got Forget." After taking a minute to figure out that she was serious, Cilan rose and checked in with Nurse Joy. He came back a few moments later and sat down.

"Nurse Joy says that she picked up Forget a little over two hours ago. What do we do now?"

"UGHHHH," Jazelle moaned, sinking even deeper into the chair. "This always happens to me!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that someone always leaves to fight the gym and I'm left alone to steep in character development."

"_Okay_... Well, what do you usually do now?" Cilan prodded.

"Um... you know, this is usually around the time that I find N and make him entertain me while also teaching him about adolescence."

"That sounds like fun!"

"Let's do it!" So began their quest to find N and bug him until he learned something valuable about life. Or almost gets his neck broken. One or the other.

But that was the thing: they just couldn't find him. They checked every building, every corner of Iccirus, but the king was nowhere to be found. He wasn't even in the Pokemon Fan Club, which was totally his domain. Finally, they just slumped down on the outside of the Pokemon Center, disappointed.

"This is so stupid!" Jazelle ranted, throwing her hands in the air. "If N isn't here to make fun of in all his kingliness, what are we supposed to do while Briar trains?"

"I don't know," Cilan replied. "Do you think Dina and Earl are back yet?"

"No. We would've seen them go into the Pokemon Center or something." So they sat there for a couple more minutes, bored as they had been before but now cold as well.

"This is so stupid!"

"You already said that!"

"I don't care! This is stupid!" Cue another couple of minutes of awkward, irritated silence.

"Okay you're right. This is really stupid. What do we do?"

"I don't know! N should be here by n- OH HEY THERE HE IS!" Sure enough, a flustered-looking N was walking their way, looking down, worried, and generally uncertain. Neither Jazelle or Cilan paid that any mind. The two dashed over to him, jumping around him like little school children when they got there (which wasn't that odd for Jazelle, but certainly looked weird with Cilan.)

" N!" Jazelle exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're here, I'm SO bored! We haven't done anything interesting in, like, an hour!"

"Um... hi," N murmured, looking past her. "I'd love to talk to you, but-"

"Hey jerkwad," she said suddenly, ceasing to jump and crossing her arms. "why did you totally ditch me back at Route 7?"

"Jazelle, I-"

"I mean, I fall asleep for a couple of minutes, and POOF! You're gone."

"I bet it was longer than that-"

"No 'buts'!"

"I didn't say 'but'."

"No 'buts'! That was a jerkface-y move."

"Jazelle, I'm sorry," N was finally able to get in. "And as much as I'd like to talk to you and get thrown in death's path in cruel and unusual ways... I'm a bit busy right now." Jazelle and Cilan's (who wasn't in the conversation and didn't really understand, but was able to realize that his source of entertainment wasn't available) faces dropped, to the point where N felt terrible. "Listen, I'm sorry, but I have prior commitments!" Their expressions didn't move an inch. "Oh my- fine. We can talk for a little bit but _that's it_."

"Yay!" Jazelle exclaimed, jumping up and down again.

"In that case, there's something that I've been wondering," Cilan said, scratching his chin. N and Jazelle looked at him expecantly. "Is your real name N? I mean, I wouldn't be surprised, but..."

"Yeah!" Jazelle agreed, turning back to her much taller friend. "I've been wondering that, too."

"No you haven't."

"You can't read my mind, cake boy!" It was just then that they noticed how much N had paled since the question had been asked. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Uh... I gotta go." N turned to run away, but Jazelle grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Liar. You told us that you could talk to us a little bit." Her face brightened with curiosity again. "Seriously, what's your name?"

"I'd... rather not tell you."

"Oh, come on!" Jazelle ranted. "It's not like Jazelle is the most normal name in the world."

"Your name is awesome, it doesn't count."

"N," Cilan said with a little laugh, "my brother's names are Cress and Chili. _Chili_, I say! I'm sure you're okay."

"Oh, you two are so naive." Jazelle and Cilan pouted at the comment. And, of course, it only made them want to find his name out more.

"Have you told _Dina_?" Cilan asked, emphasizing her name.

"No."

"Why not?!" Jazelle demanded. "You _love_ her! You had a whole dramatic confession! There was rain and everything!"

"I'd tell her if she asked, but she hasn't yet." Cilan and Jazelle stared at him judgingly. "Okay, as great as this conversation has been, I have to go. See you later."

"WAIT, WHOA WHOA WHOA!" Jazelle's shouting was not answered, however. N was already running towards the ancient tower looming in the distance.

"Should we chase him?" asked Cilan, who was bored once again but driven by curiosity. Jazelle thought about his suggestion for a moment.

"No. He won't tell us." Suddenly, out of the corner of her sharp, trained eyes, she saw a familiar flash that was just slow enough that you could see it. "But I know who might." And with that, she dashed in the direction of the shadow and Cilan found himself stumbling after her.

* * *

><p>"What's his name?!" Jazelle shouted angrily. "Tell us his name!" Cilan looked at the scene in front of him and wondered how it had come to be. Two of the Shadow Triad were on the ground, unconcious, and Jazelle was pinning the third down painfully as she interrogated him.<p>

"Uh... Jazelle..."

"TELL US HIS FREAKING NAME!" she ordered as she twisted his arm.

"Ack, alright, alright!" he said, giving in. "I'll tell you! Stop!" Cilan couldn't help but smile. He'd heard of the Shadow Triad. Even when Team Plasma wasn't popular, they were. They were fast and strong and feared. But now he was looking at a 13-year-old girl, pinnning one of them down after knocking the other two out and having him beg for mercy.

"What is it?" she asked again, innocently, as if she wasn't causing more pain to him than he'd probably felt in his entire life.

"Natural!" he answered frantically. "Lord N's full name is Natural Harmonia Gropius!" Jazelle and Cilan froze for a moment, shocked by the sheer absurdity of the name.

And then they both fell to the ground laughing.

"Shadow Tri- wait, what happened?" N walked through the brush and found an odd scene to greet him: his ninja servants, two knocked out and the other clutching his arm in pain. But what really worried him was Jazelle and Cilan, who released a fresh burst of laughter when they saw him. The king's eyes widened and he rushed over to the remaining member of the Shadow Triad.

"Did you tell them my name?!" he demanded frantically. He did not answer immediately. "Arceus, _tell_ me you didn't tell them my name!"

"Forgive me, Lord N..." N turned to Jazelle and Cilan, laughing just as hard as they had been before.

"Hey... Natural!" Jazelle managed to say in between laughs.

"Gropius? Really?" Cilan stuttered. And N, like the king he was, drew himself up with as little blushing as possible.

"I need to go," he said stoically, business-like. "I have official Team Plasma business to attend to." So he passed Jazelle and Cilan, who once again had fresh bouts of laughter at "Natural"'s face, not knowing that his next destination was one that would likely change Unova forever.

**Author's Note: Unnnnhhhhhh... That ending... SO CHEESY! I don't get it. I'm constantly bashing my endings, but I never change them. Huh.**

**So yeah, nothing really happens in this chapter. I just thought it'd be funny to have a chapter where Jazelle goes to extreme measures (which she TOTALLY doesn't do) to find out N's real name. I originally was gonna do this thing where it wasn't revealed to the reader, but then I saw that, if he was listed as a character, then his full name showed up in the description of the story, so I just kinda scratched that.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	28. Chapter 23

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Oh, I have no doubt that it would taste better in New Zealand. (What do Americans have to brag about? Hambur- no, they make you fat... Co- no, that makes you fat... You know I can see why the rest of the world sees us this way.) Nutella. Heh. I'm probably gonna start doing that. **

**sydryc13, your review made me unbelievably happy, but I'm sorry, I have to decline. They were at one point, and then I scratched that. Then he and Jazelle were at one point (I know right?), but then I decided that I liked it more as a brother/sister relationship. He's got a bit of a confession at the end, but he's not even in the sequel. And Briar has a love interest in that one, and I love him and he's my baby, so... no. Sorry. **

**That makes sense. Grope. Gropius. Oh my goodness... Gropius, Ghetsis? Really? Hey, wait, isn't that a Pokemon? *goes to look it up* NO THAT'S TROPIUS. Thanks, sis.**

**Once again, Agent Walrus, your review has made me laugh out loud. Ughhh... I can't remember anything that happened that night... I knew we shouldn't have drank soda after 9:30. I feel so scandalous.**

**Disclaimer: DODGERJOEY, YOU HAVE RETURNED FROM YOUR MOVE! We're gonna stick with the whole "cannibal island" thing, though. Sounds so much more interesting. 'Tis my honor to be thou goddess of story telling. Speaking of that YES FABULA I'LL READ **_**CHARLES **_**ALOUD TO EVERYONE. I still don't know what it's about...**

Chapter 23

Heroes, Kings, It's All the Same Thing

Now we return to the less humorous adventures of Briar Casey who, if I recall correctly, is the main character in this story. Not Jazelle or Cilan. Or Natural (heh.) No. _Me_. I am the hero.

Sorry. Sometimes I get slightly self-concious when Jazelle has funnier chapters than me.

Anyway, I'll give you an update after training. Forget was still awesome, even if in a bigger form. Tea was gradually becoming less emo (was Jazelle counseling her?) I didn't get many chances to fight with Fenris, but that was okay since I'd used him at the last gym. Dexter and Harvey, however, evolved. For Dexter, it was an epic battle. He was fighting a Druddigon, a terrifying Dragon-type, and he was the only one capable of beating it because Dragon was good against Dragon. The downside... Druddigon was Dragon-type, as stated earlier, so they were basically dealing the same amount of damage.

It was a dramatic final seconds. Druddigon was about to deliver a Crunch attack that, if met by its target, would certainly be fatal. Dexter, however, was at the same time preparing a Dragon Claw. They went at each other at the same time, the Druddigon's jaw unhinged, Dexter's claw glowing. The mouth was about to close when Dexter's attack hit point-blank, right in between the eyes. Heck yes. And that's when he evolved into Fraxure. Not near as cute as Axew, but he gets the job done.

No offense to Harvey or anything (seriously, Harvey, don't take offense at this, you kind of scare me), but his evolution was much less dramatic. He basically beat this ice cream cone thing called Vanillish in one hit and _boom_. He was a Lampent. Which is SUPER COOL, by the way.

That made the only un-evolved member of my team Ming. Which wasn't surprising considering the fact that she wouldn't evolve until LEVEL FREAKING FIFTY.

Despite Ming's not changing in form, I knew she and the rest of my team were strong enough to take on Brycen. Apparently, he's some sort of ninja. That doesn't sit well with me since the only other ninjas I know are the Shadow Triad. And Jazelle, I guess, but she's a miniature, Converse-wearing ninja, so I don't entirely count her.

"MENTOR CLYDE!" I exclaimed as I entered, dramatically pointing at him. I'd been hanging out with Jazelle too much. "You owe me a Fresh Water."

"That I do," he said, pulling a Fresh Water out of nowhere and tossing it to me. Miraculously, I was able to catch it AND look cool. "_Please_ tell me you have another Fire-type."

"I do, and a Fighting."

"Then you should be fine. Good luck, Briar!" Cue weird, difficult puzzles with easy Ice-using trainers. Yippee. It seriously took me, like, three hours. I'm lucky to still have my leg; logically, I should've gotten frostbite and had it amputated. Stupid ninja gym leader. He's just like Elesa, make your opponent dizzy with sheer cold and then defeat them in their moment of weakness.

"I'm not giving you the satisfaction," I muttered spitefully, shivering all the way to my bones. Too bad Dina wasn't there to warn the gym leader of my delirious madness. Brycen, however, was not fazed by my crazy comments and remained completely still in some martial-arts sitting position. His stillness was pretty unnerving, actually.

Suddenly, his eyes popped open and I jumped about thirty feet in the air.

"Come. Let us battle." Okay, screw that, this guy was awesome!

Fortunately, he was not so completely awesome that he could beat me. I didn't blame him, though. All of his Pokemon were pure Ice-type, and therefore didn't stand a chance against my equal-leveled Fire- and Fighting-type. Don't feel bad, man. I'm just an awesome chick.

I will admit, though. That Cryogonal is going to haunt my dreams until I'm sixty.

"... Very nice." Then he just handed me a gym badge. Seriously. He just handed it to me and I just put it in my case. I didn't even see the usual mental, overly-dramatic gaining of the badge, opening of the badge case, and badge magically appearing inside case scene. That, I was thankful for.

"Uh, thanks. See ya." And thus ended my experience in the gym. No totally unnecessary scenes or anything. Despite the cold, I think I might have a new favorite.

Clyde congratulated me and, when he asked if I'd used the Fresh Water, I lied and said I had. I liked my Fresh Water, no matter how incredibly useless it'd become to me. Upon stepping outside, I was greeted by my other good friends Cilan and Jazelle, who had the nerve to jump around me excitedly and beg for entertainment before even telling me N's real name was Natural Harmonia Gropius. I mean, come on! It's just common courtesy to tell your best friend one of your other best friend's super embarassing real name.

"Arceus, stop!" I yelled, and indeed they stopped. Cilan did it, ashamed; Jazelle, however, froze on her own accord. I'd only seen her do it once before. And, just as I thought, the Shadow Triad showed up seconds later and Jazelle was ready, pinning one down before they could even begin their terse speeches. Hey, wait a second... well, it was cool when Brycen did it!

"Jazelle." Now _everyone_ froze. Brycen the awesome terse ninja stood in the doorway of his gym, looking disapprovingly at our friend. She stopped painfully twisting the ninja's arm and let him go.

"Sorry." Wait, _what_? Did the apocolypse just occur without my knowing?

"We've come with a message from our Lord N," one of the ninjas, not the one that'd gotten attacked by Jazelle (he was getting up and rubbing his arm), explained, looking at her cautiously. "He is waiting for Briar at Dragonspiral Tower. They urge you to come as quickly as possible." Then they disappeared, somewhat more hastily than normal, which is odd considering that they disappear so quickly.

"Just another reason to hate my life!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air. "N-"

"His name is Natural Harmonia Gropius," Cilan said.

"... the frick?"

"Yep. Natural. Harmonia. Gropius."

"... Sweet Arceus. Ghetsis is truly evil. Anyway, now Natural and his creepy dad-ish thing want me to come to the ancient tower. I bet they're doing something I'm going to have to fix."

"Probably," Cilan laughed.

"Jazelle." Cilan and I turned around, where Jazelle was looking pretty ashamed of herself in the presence of Brycen. "You know what I said about you and your fighting."

"That I'm awesome?" Brycen's expression- or, I'm sure that you could dig a legitimate expression out of that stone face at some point- was enough to wipe the smug expression off her face, though.

"You're rash. You'll get yourself killed." Cue, eternally humbled Jazelle. Or, at least, humbled until we left Iccirus (which I was kind of itching to do.)

"Ye... yes, Sensei." Wow. Only then did I make the connection that he was her martial-arts teacher. That explains a lot... kind of.

"Alright, this is a beautiful reunion scene and all, but I have an awful feeling that something sucky is about to happen and everyone's going to expect me to make it better, so... yeah. Bye." The best part? No one moved. "Hey, I think Ghetsis is planning to assassinate me when I go into the tower." Nothing. "You all suck!" Only then did they look, but I was trudging away by then.

* * *

><p>Professor Juniper Sr. seemed to be waiting for me at the entrance to Dragonspiral Tower, and overjoyed to see me.<p>

"Briar! I'm so glad you're here."

"You want me to save Unova from whatever the crap Team Plasma's doing in there?" Cedric laughed his fatherly laugh.

"Why do people call me a professor? You can see all the important things. Yes, Team Plasma's up to something and my scholarly intuition is telling me that it's not good."

"And my stupid intuition is telling me the same thing."

"So you see what I mean!" he laughed. Why'd he laugh so much? Why was he so happy? Either way, I didn't feel so used anymore.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go make everything better."

"Thank you!" So I headed on, just as I said. But I promised nothing of my speed. I took my time; after all, it was Autumn and the path was painted gold with its leaves. When I broke free of its enchanting, honey-scented embrace, I saw the tower in all its ancient majesty. Except that bridge in the middle. Ew. I covered it with my hand and all was peaceful.

That's when I heard an ominous sound from the top of the tower. Whoops. Got to save the world from whatever stupid thing N is doing.

I crossed the bridge, fingering my Poke Balls in case any grunts decided to surprise me. They didn't; the first floor had cracked blue-green tile and water had been seeping in for centuries, nearly choking out the land. I ran across the slippery tile to the stairs ahead.

Oh frick. The entire next room was a disaster zone, with toppled pillars everywhere that completely blocked the way to the next room. After a quick examination (and more ominous noises to hurry me up), I decided that the best course of action would have to be to climb the pillars like they were slopes and, hopefully, get to the platform. I ascended the one closest to me. Dang it, what possessed me to wear these shoes? I mean, they weren't stilletos or anything, but they certainly felt like it as I teetered from pillar to pillar. Miraculously, one of them connected with the platform and I jumped onto it and booked it into the next room.

The next room was a bunch of ramps- real ramps, not pillars- that eventually lead to stairs on the other side of the room. I crossed them quickly and ascended the stairs.

"Ah crap." Greeting me at the top of the stairs were so many grunts I became dizzy, and by the expressions on their faces, I could tell that they wanted to battle. Well, I guess this would just be Chargestone Cave all over again-

"HA!" Jazelle jumped down and smashed into a grunt, and a much less dramatic Brycen followed behind, no smashing included. He pulled out a Poke Ball and released Beartic, which was my cue to go.

"Don't just stand there, Briar, move your butt!"

"I was going to- hey, you have Pokemon?" Jazelle was now also holding two Poke Balls, one for each hand.

"Yes. Why is everyone so surprised? Anyway, go!" This time I followed her instructions, no questions asked. I ran up the stairs- there were a couple grunts, but I beat them easily- and entered the next room. I groaned; it was a circular maze of ramps that I was going to throw up on and most likely fall off of. Well played, N. Well played. Somehow, I managed to stay on the thin ramps without toppling over, and climbed up the stairs slowly until finally the world stopped spinning in front of my eyes.

When I reached the top, I blinked a few times to make sure that my senses had come back. I followed the path and, lucky me, found a Sage. 'Cause that's just what I need right now. Fat, old murderers in robes that probably cost more than my house.

"I congratulate you on getting this far," he began. Oh crap, was I gonna get monologued? "I am Giallo, one of the Seven Sages, and I cannot let you get any further. N _must_ carry out his mission. It's what he was meant to do, you see."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I've heard enough about it from him. Are you gonna make me battle those grunts around you or what?" Giallo's face turned red- it was funny, and I would've laughed if it weren't for the sudden rumbling- and he sent his cronies at me. Good thing that Team Plasma is only capable of battling with Watchogs, Liepards, and trashbags with eyes, or I might've actually lost.

I wasted no time in running up the stairs to try and talk N out of whatever idiotic thing he was doing. However, judging by the freaking _giant legendary swan_ that was doing all but bowing down to him, I could tell I might be a little late. N, who was stroking it, saw me and waved enthusiastically.

"Hi, Briar!" he called. "Isn't it beautiful?" I sighed and rubbed one side of my face.

"N," I said, my hand still on my face, "what the _heck _are you doing?"

"Being a hero," he replied, that stupid smile still on his face. Okay, I guess a happy smile isn't stupid, but it was in this context. "With Reshiram, I'll be able to defeat the champion, and Pokemon won't have to suffer anymore!" Poor, sad little N.

"N, this isn't a good idea. You trying to defeat the champion-"

"You don't know anything!" he yelled, his happy expression so gone that you would never have known it'd been there. "You don't know what it's like to watch Pokemon suffer because they're being held captive! You can't feel the sadness that goes with it!"

"I can feel sadness," I defended. "You're being stupid and that makes me sad."

"You'll never understand," he said sadly. "And those that understand nothing, know nothing."

"OKAY, NOW WAIT A SEOND-" He didn't, though. He just jumped on his legendary so they could dramatically fly through the gigantic hole behind them.

"Oh, Briar, wait!" He said in midair. I looked up at him, annoyed.

"What?"

"Is Dina here? It'd be super awesome if Dina was here to see me doing this." I blew my bangs out of face, as if that would get rid of a little bit of the irritation I was feeling right now.

"No. Dina is not here. Maybe she would've been if you'd waited for her in Mistralton." N's face, which had become excited again at the idea of seeing her, dissolved into sadness.

"Well you didn't have to say it like that. A simple 'no' would've been okay." Oh, N. So much like a child. Even that pout you're giving me I saw on a seven-year-old Earl. And a fourteen-year-old Earl. "Well... bye." And so he flew away.

"What'd I miss?!" a frantic Jazelle yelled as she climbed the stairs. "I heard this rumble, and then this roaring, and- hey, where's N?"

"He flew away into the sunset on a dragon," I answered stoically.

"... You're screwing me."

"I screw you not."

"And I _missed_ it? Ugh, that jerk, _I'm _his best friend!"

"Jazelle." Whoa, where did Brycen come from?! Wait, why am I so surprised?

"Wha- oh, hi, Sensei."

"We need to go. We must find out where Reshiram is headed."

"Aw, can I stay a little longer? We were so busy beating up grunts that I didn't get to look at the Pokemon."

"... Alright. But come down as soon as you're done."

"Yes, Sensei! See ya, Briar!" So Brycen and left the tower in a gloomy funk- I'm sure Brycen was gloomy somewhere under that mask- and met Cilan and Professor Juniper on the outside.

"That was so cool!" Cilan said excitedly. "There were, like, rumbles, and and then something went, like, _roar_-" great Reshiram impression, Cilan. You'd better hope it doesn't eat you. "- and then N flew away on a dragon!"

"That was Reshiram, and now N's got the bright idea to challenge the Champion so that all trainers will release their Pokemon."

"Oh... well that's not good."

"NOBODY WORRY!" All of us jumped about three feet in the air at this exclamation, and sure enough, there was Alder, looking awfully confident. "I will not let this N beat me when he challenges me!"

"Uh... right," I said. "Haven't you, like, not battled in a couple years?" That took his confidence level down a notch.

"Well... uh... that's beside the point!"

"Isn't this just great?" I shouted. "The only chance we have at defeating that psycho is Alder, and he hasn't fought in, like, five years!"

"Three."

"What?"

"It's been more like three years."

"Just another reason to hate my life!"

"Oh, come on, it can't be _that _bad!" His eyes shifted to Juniper. "Oh, hey Professor! Long time no see."

"Yes, Alder, it's been awhile."

"Arceus, people, N just flew away on a dragon to destroy the world and we're have _reunion scenes_?!" I yelled. "I mean, what the crap?"

"She's right," Alder admitted.

"Of course I am."

"We need to go find the other legendary- the Dark Stone- and have Briar awaken it."

"Wait, what?!"

"Oh, yeah, Briar's _totally _the other hero," Cilan agreed. Wait, oh snap, he wasn't joking.

"I'm the what?"

"Other hero," Juniper explained. "You _do _know there are two heroes, right?"

"Um, stupid Kantonian that knows nothing of Unovian lore. Sorry."

"There are two heroes and you're obviously the other one," Alder said impatiently.

"Well what brought you to _that_ conclusion?" I asked, horrified.

"Because you're the only one that's always been there to fight Team Plasma," Cilan explained. "I mean, you're definitely the protagonist of this story."

"Oh, _thank you_ Cilan," I said, genuinely happy I was called the protagonist. "Wait, no, that doesn't mean I'm the hero!"

"Yes it does," Cilan argued.

"No it doesn't."

"I'm going back to the gym," Brycen said quietly.

"Can I come with you?" Juniper asked, eyeing the argument that was about to ensue between Cilan and I.

"Me too?" prodded Alder, who was doing the same thing.

"... Sure." As they all speed-walked out of earshot, Cilan and I continued.

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"Yes it-"

"Arceus, Cilan, _I'm not in the mood_!" With that, I marched out to the Pokemon Center and fell asleep on the couch, dreaming dreams of legendary Pokemon and heroes with faces other than mine.

**Author's Note: Sorry it's taken awhile to update, school's started and there's **_**so much homework**_**... it hasn't been a fun time for me. I meant to update last week, but I only got about half-way through and I stopped. **

**And there's this video walkthrough, TheBattleProductions, and the guy's **_**so funny**_**. Oh my goodness. I'm, like, totally watching his videos for the rest of the story. **

**Also, one more thing that you lovely readers can help me with: theme songs. It's something Fabula and I always do, where we just find songs that fit characters. I've got one for Briar, Earl, N, Jazelle, and Gracie. If anyone can think of anything for Dina and Cilan (or any of the other characters), it'd be **_**super**_** helpful, especially since Fabula and Prussia aren't helping me at all. Thanks :)**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	29. Chapter 24

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Oh, my dear beloved readers! For a little under a year I've been trying to find themes for Cilan and Dina, and you guys go and give me TWO PERFECT ONES. risen truth ruthless lies, I don't think that you know how incredibly perfect that song is for Cilan. Like, you can't, because you don't realize it until the last chapter. And Agent Walrus... ahh, you came through for me again! **

**Briar: Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day (I was proud of this one. Not gonna lie.)**

**Dina: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (SO. PERFECT. AGENT WALRUS, WHY U SO GREAT?!)**

**Earl: That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings (He's a crack character, so I figured I'd give him a crack song.)**

**N: God Save Us The Foolish Kings by House of Heroes (This is the very first one because I saw the title and was like "N!")**

**Jazelle: Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People (This especially works in the sequel, but it's fine here too.)**

**Cilan: Never Too Late by Three Days Grace (Once again... SO PERFECT! My reviewers are better than yours!)**

**Graciela: Dream on Dreamer by Cascada (This was Briar's original theme, but when I thought of her new one I decided that this would work better for Gracie.)**

_**The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey **_**(fanfiction): Home by Phillip Phillips (It makes perfect sense if all the Unovians are talking to Briar)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. There's a change of pace.**

Chapter 24

This Resort Is Just A Desert

"Briar... you probably shouldn't sleep so long..."

"SCREW YOU CILAN."

"Oh, poor little Briar!" the chef said, irritated. "She's the hero that's destined to save everyone and have a legendary at her service! She's such an unlucky person."

"YOU BET I AM." Cilan had been trying to coax me out of this hero-induced depression and, as you can see, failed. Not like he was doing that great a job, though. I refused to look at him and was curled up in a ball, facing the wall. I heard the door open and thought nothing of it, since doors will be doors and open for people. This door opening, however, shut Cilan up and I heard a new set of footsteps approach.

"LEYER NEEDS A BATHROOM!" I heard Earl shout. Whoops. Someone caught up to us.

"Hello, Briar." I flipped over. Wait, no, don't be mad at me, Dina! I hate it when you're mad at me!

"Hey-ey," I said in that way that girls often say "hey" to each other. Wait, why are you not laughing, Dee? You always laugh when I say it like that!

"So how was Dragonspiral Tower?" she prodded, her arms crossed.

"Oh, don't give me that!" I protested. "You could've come if you'd wanted to bad enough." And then Dina laughed. And not like a "Haha, you're my best friend Briar and I have no desire to kill you" kind of laugh. This was a "I'm laughing because I'm super ticked off at you and I can't believe you dared to just say that to me" laugh.

And then she suddenly stopped and gave me the death glare. Oh, Arceus, this was worse than I thought.

"Briar, I just spent the past two days caring for my brother, who had _influenza_, in another town. After he _finally _stopped puking long enough to talk, he started yelling at me for kissing N without his 'consent'. Then, to add insult to injury, I leave the restroom to breathe some air that _wasn't _contaminated by the smell of throw-up and find that my boyfriend and three of my best friends skipped town without leaving so much as a note.

"I promptly had to leave Mistralton with Earl, who lamented about how it had too many 'painful memories', practically _carrying _him across Route 7 and Twist Mountain. _Most _of the trainers were merciful, but I had to fight off the ones that weren't with my weak Pokemon while listening to Earl rant about how awful a sister I was. And when I _finally _get to civilization, I discovered that I missed my hot boyfriend flying away, hero of Unova, _on a dragon_. I wanted to be here pretty bad, Briar." There was silence for a moment as Dina fumed and I was eaten alive by guilt.

"She has a very valid argument, Briar," Cilan agreed.

"_Don't _you think that you're getting away with this either, fruit cake."

"Fruit cake? How dare you call me something as low-brow as fruit cake!"

"How dare you totally leave me hanging!"

"She has a very valid argument, _Cilan_," I tossed right back.

"Don't you have hero-ly duties to perform or something?" he snapped.

"Wait, _you're _one too?" Dina asked, surprised.

"Hey, whose the protagonist here?"

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" And everyone did. All the occupants of the Pokemon Center shut their traps and looked at who their verbal assailant was. Alder, who would've guessed? "Briar! We need to talk!"

"I will _happily _talk to you." We didn't get any privacy, though. Cilan and Dina followed me, glaring at the back of my head. I tried to act cool and not like their disappointment made me feel like bashing my head against a table.

"We need to go to the Desert Resort near Route 4. Cedric, Brycen, and I think that's where the Dark Stone is, and you need to awaken Zekrom." I threw up my hands.

"Oh, right, you want me to do that, too. Awesome. Why a resort, anyway?"

"There's an ancient castle there," Alder explained. "All the wise grown men decided that that was the most likely place for it to be." I cocked my brow and crossed my arms.

"Oh yeah? So where did Brycen and Juniper think it was?"

"Actually, the castle was Brycen's idea. I suggested the depths of Twist Mountain and Juniper thought it was Chargestone Cave. But that look that Brycen gives you... It's not even a look, since it's beneath his mask..."

"Yeah, I know," I replied. Dina and Cilan were still glaring at my head. "Are you coming with us?"

"I'm going on ahead," he explained. "I'll pave the way for you. Maybe there'll be some trainers that I can battle. It's... been awhile."

"Yeah, three years, we know." And we all just stood there for a moment, the teenagers brewing and Alder feeling a bit self-concious. Finally, he murmured something along the lines of "I need to go" and left. Around this time, Earl came out of the bathroom, said something in third-person (he was Leyer now, if you didn't notice), and walked obnoxiously up to Dina and Cilan's hate-fest.

"... What'd I miss?"

"They're mad at me!" I exclaimed, pointing at them. They didn't move.

"... What'd you do?" Earl continued with a yawn. Thank you, Earl, for your apparent interest in my life.

"I complained about being the hero."

"Wait, whoa whoa whoa, _you're _the hero?!" All three of us nodded. "Well then it's understandable that you'd be upset."

"Thank you!" I shouted as Cilan and Dina shouted other things along the lines of "What the crap man?!"

"It makes sense," Earl explained, sounding completely practical for what might be the first time. "Being the hero isn't a walk in the park. You've got the weight of Unova on your shoulders. You've got a legendary breathing down your neck. It's alot of stress, guys."

"I'm conflicted," I responded as Dina and Cilan digested this. "On one hand, that was uncharacteristically well-worded and even _I'm _beginning to admire me. On the other hand... that just doesn't make me feel better."

"He's right, Briar," Dina admitted. "I didn't think about it that way. Sorry."

"Me too," Cilan piggybacked.

"It's fine," I muttered, the Butterfrees consuming my stomach. "But I suppose we should head to the Desert Resort now. Is Jazelle coming?"

"I think I heard her talk about staying with Brycen," Cilan replied.

"Okay then. Let's go."

* * *

><p>"This resort sucks," I said as Dina, Earl, Cilan, and I stood in the midst of a raging sandstorm. Where was Chloe and Rae and her freaky Zorua when you needed them? "This is just a desert. There's nothing resort-like about it."<p>

"Let's just go find this castle," Dina begged. Poor girl, she was getting positively sand-papered.

Surprise surprise, the Desert Resort wasn't that popular with the tourists. Most of the people were trainers, suffering through the sandstorms and infinite Sandiles to train. Jazelle was able to scope out most of them, and we avoided them at all costs. There was one Backpacker that was able to spot us, but Earl sacrificed himself with a "SAVE YOURSELVES!" He caught up to us a few minutes later.

"I think the weird frozen Pokemon signal the entrance," I said, spitting the sand out of my mouth. Since no one else wanted to have a smoothed-out throat, we hurried inside. When we got inside, I saw the Yamask things floating around, disappearing and reappearing to the point where I knew that, if Dina were to release her's, even N might not be able to find it again. A couple trainers were about, but they were mostly hippy psychic people and took no notice of us.

"So... what do we do now?" Earl asked. No one knew the answer.

"I would ask Psychic Hippy #1 over there, but then he might want to battle," I replied.

"Hey guys! It's quicksand!" We all looked in the direction of the statement and saw Dina standing over a funnel of sand.

"Dee! Get away from there!" Earl exclaimed, and he would've tackled her away if it weren't for Cilan, who grabbed him. This was good, because then they both would've just fallen in the sand from the impact of Earl's attack.

"Okay, okay, I wasn't gonna swan-dive in or anything-" Suddenly, a Sandile appeared at her feet and jumped up to her face. I'm sure it was just because he'd seen her and loved her, like every other Pokemon, but she screamed and fell backwards, right into the sand that she and her brother had been arguing about.

Well crap.

"DINA!" Earl yelled. He stomped Cilan's foot (poor guy, he needed to learn not to hold people back) and _did_ dive into the desert death trap.

Okay, screw all of Cilan's hard work.

Cilan and I rushed to the edge of the whirlpool, looking down as hard as we could, as if we could elicit them with our gaze. But that sand just kept on swirling, and I was beginning to feel the sting of tears, something I hadn't felt for over seven years.

"Cilan! Briar! Come here!" We spun around- almost tumbling in, might I add- and were overjoyed to see Dina and Earl, sandpapered by the funnel but otherwise unharmed. Go away, tears! Go away before they see you!

"Wait, what just happened?" Cilan asked, confused. His gaze constantly shifted between the twins and the whirlpool.

"It drops you into another room before it can do any harm," Dina explained as they picked their way towards us. "But this isn't the quicksand we want to be falling through."

"To think, there's quicksand you _want _to fall through," I muttered.

"We saw where we needed to go," Dina explained further. "I think we need to get to that one." She was looking past me and pointing at another funnel, this one past the thinnest ledge I'd seen in my entire life. Seriously, if Earl decided to give himself a new name while we were crossing it, I bet the little brainpower it required would be enough to send us spinning into the whirlpool it dropped off into.

"Just another reason to hate my life." And, like the good protagonist I am, I took the lead and began inching my way across.

It was a fairly suspenseful minute of all our lives. I was right; just about anything was enough to send us back to the start. Once again, I felt like my choice of shoes was the worst decision of my life. Seriously, the heel was a little over an inch. Why did every step feel like my last? Especially since this quicksand wasn't deadly?

"I'M ALIVE!" I screamed as I jumped off the ledge and onto precious solid land. Though my exclamation logically could've sent the rest of them tumbling, they all managed to hop on as well, and we did all but kiss the ground.

And that was when we realized that the only that waited for us was another spinning whirlpool of quicksand, and rather reluctantly we continued on our journey.

Alder had done exactly what I hoped he would do: he took out the grunts. There were clumps of them here and there, all complaining about the champion, saying they couldn't wait until their beloved Lord N defeated him. That was the one good thing about the unreasonable volume of all of Team Plasma's employees: it helped us walk right on by without them paying us any mind. It took alot of sandpapering and splitting up, but we finally found exactly where we were supposed to be. We fell in uncomfortable positions, but looked up and saw Alder and Ghetsis.

"Alder!" I greeted happily. "This would be a great time to be champion-ly and say you found the stone!"

"No," he said sadly. Oh, _darn_.

"Ah, Briar Casey!" Ghetsis exclaimed, spreading his arms out. "I must say, you have done a very good job at interrupting my plans, time and time again. But that is all you are, an interruption. So now I shall resume talking."

"Well crap, guys," I said light-heartedly to everyone, even though I was genuinely worried. "Everytime Ghetsis monologues, a Lillipup dies."

"Lord N shall be the hero of Unova!" Ghetsis screamed, his face turning into a tomato.

"Plus one dead Lillipup," I said, more to lighten my own mood than anyone else's.

"N will defeat your weak champion," he continued. "Yor beloved champion is lesser now. He lost not only his Pokemon partner, but his wife as well." Everyone turned to Alder, surprised. He looked down. "N will beat him easily. Then, with Reshiram at his side and the title of Champion, he will be able to influence trainers all over to release their Pokemon. First, it will be a couple of gullible trainers. But then, other trainers will follow their lead, until it will be a _bad _thing to have Pokemon. Anyone that keeps them will be considered cruel. The Champion will release his Pokemon, the most powerful in Unova, and even you, Briar Casey, will release your beloved Snivy, given to you by your now deceased best friend. _That's _how much influence he will have. And you can't do anything to stop him." Everything was silent for a moment, and I was looking down, dismayed by the thought of releasing Forget.

"Plus a hundred dead Lillipups," I murmured. Nobody laughed.

"You joke all you want," Ghetsis said as he neared me. "Just wait for the day, Briar Casey. The day that you will look your Snivy in the eye and crush her Poke Ball. There is simply no avoiding it." Where was Jazelle? I don't think Cilan would hold her back if she killed Ghetsis right then. We could say it was self-defense...

"She's a Servine now," is all that came out, when I had much nastier things going rampant through my head. Ghetsis smirked. I considered sending out Harvey to burn it off.

"Good day, all of you," he said, waving. "I look forward to seeing you again."

"Hey, you're not jus-"

"Earl." Everyone, even Earl (who would've gladly taken Jazelle's place as the bringer of Ghetsis' end), turned towards the champion. He was looking at his Xtransceiver. "Come. We need to go to Nacrene."

"Nacrene?!" Earl exclaimed. "Ghetsis is getting away!"

"And he won't win," Alder said sternly, with such confidence that Earl withered and I began to think that things might actually be okay.

* * *

><p>"This better be the Dark Stone," I muttered as we neared the mueseum. "I hate walking. Cilan, stop looking at the restaurant like it's a beautiful woman you have no chance of ever being with!"<p>

"I can be with anyone I choose, thank you very much!"

"Briar!" Okay, serious Alder. Can you go back to the excited, arrogant Alder from before? Lenora came out, with both the Junipers. Oh, a party.

"I always wondered what this did," she murmured, fingering the obsidian-like stone from my first visit. After a moment of everyone looking at it, she held it out to me. Everyone looked at me expectantly. Me, the hero of Unova, the protagonist, the one that was destined to awaken Zekrom.

I backed away.

"Briar?" Dina asked, though I knew it was a plea.

I backed away again.

"I'm not the hero," I whispered. "I promise." And then I ran away.

* * *

><p>When the doors to the Pokemon Center opened and I felt certain that it was for me, I half-expected it to be Cilan, sighing "Not this again!"<p>

It wasn't.

"Ghetsis is right, you know," Alder told me. "I'm weak." Oh, great, now _I _was the one with deja vu. "I wasn't always weak. In fact, I was once the best trainer in Unova. Well, second best- you remember that one that I said could beat me, right? That's not the point, though. _I'm _the Champion. I'm taking on N."

"Congratulations," I said, not feeling like saying anything else. There was an awkward silence.

"Briar?"

"Yes?"

"Do you... think I'll win?" I finally looked at him, right in the eye. He looked like a child, lost and worried. What could I say?

"Of course, Alder," I assured. "You didn't get the title of Champion by losing to prophets like N." Suddenly, a dark, smooth object was pressed into my palm.

"Then you probably won't need this, Miss Hero," he told me before leaving. Once he was gone, I uncurled my fingers and looked at the object.

The Dark Stone.

Zekrom.

My destiny.

I got up and left, wondering what type the final gym leader was.

**Author's Note: Another long chapter, woot woot! LIBBY! I thought you were going to be like all the other people I've asked to read this and just not... read it. And yep, I'm Sushi and the other one's Fabula. Thanks for not naming names.**

**Maquerea, you reviewed! I'm glad you liked that chapter, I'd been looking forward to it for a while :) Alright guys, you have GOT to read this guy's story. It's original, well-written, the PUNCTUATION... I'm sorry, I'm a punctuation Nazi. Anyway, read it. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	30. Chapter 25

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: What am I doing writing this, risen truth ruthless lies? You were just able to sum up Briar's entire thought process in that little review :)**

**You can do 10,000 words, Maquerea. Easily. I believe in you.**

**You're really into CilanxBriar, aren't you, Jinx? That's a good idea, though. I might use that. **

**Thanks to everyone that complimented Briar's character. It happened like all my best personalities; I wrote and that's what came forth. And I can't wait to see if you're theory's right too, Agent Walrus. Mainly because I read your review, head-desked (you just have to give me a concussion, don't you?) and sighed "She knows it, she totally knows it."**

**So I've been reading **_**Pokemon Adventures**_**. It's kinda awesome. You should read it. My favorite character's Bill. And Yellow. And Red. And Blue (or Green, in the Japanese version. He just looks like a Blue to me.) Heck, I love them all!**

**ERMERGERD GUYS. BLACK/WHITE 2 COMES OUT IN LESS THAN A MONTH. AHHHHH.**

**Disclaimer:... Okay, where the crap is Dodgerjoey?**

Chapter 25

My Hot, Tiring, Depressing, and Surprisingly Happy Birthday

"Briar..." C'mon, Dee, you know that whispering isn't enough to wake me up. "BRIAR."

"Harvey who'd you kill?" I sputtered as I sat up. Harvey, and all my other Pokemon, were next to me, and despite the fact that it was an outburst that randomly emerged from my restless slumber, his expression made me wonder if he indeed _had_ killed someone.

"Nobody's dead, Briar," Dina assured. Oh, well never mind then. Sorry I doubted you, buddy. You just have that look about you. "You don't look good. Do you even remember where you are?"

"Uh... um..." The last thing I remembered was Alder pushing the Dark Stone into my hands.

"We flew back to Iccirus after you got your stone, and we're in the Pokemon Fan Club," she explained. I noticed that Cilan and Earl were standing around her, but Jazelle and N were nowhere to be seen. "You flew with Earl on his Braviary."

"It evolved after, like, a week straight of training it," he exclaimed with a big, goofy grin.

"Oh, right, I remember that," I replied. "What, was I drunk during all this or something?"

"No, but you seemed to be in one of your trances after Alder gave you the Dark Stone," Cilan explained. I winced.

"Oh, right, that," I rubbed my head. "I've got a nasty headache, though. Like I WAS drunk."

"Well that's not good," Dina said, her eyes widening. "After all, today is-"

"BRIAR!" Though this exclamation made my head burst, I looked past Dina. Rae's head was almost touching the tall doorway, her Zorua on her shoulder and what appeared to be a painting in her opposite hand. Chloe appeared behind her, panting as if she had been unable to keep up, which wouldn't surprise me.

"Hey, Rae," I greeted, rubbing my head again. "What's up?"

"We made you a present!" Rae explained. She ran up to my bedside, a smiling Chloe following her.

"Two presents," she said. "I painted you something while we were in Zoroark's field. Man, it's hard to catch up to you!" Chloe pushed her red hair back and handed me a painting. It was me with my my hands in my pockets and my usual I-hate-the-world expression, with Forget looking up at me. It was gorgeous, with colors that blended exquisitely into each other and expressions that captured Forget and I perfectly.

"It's beautiful," I breathed, taking it in my hands as all my Pokemon crowded around to see it, too.

"I made you something, too!" Rae assured, showing me her own picture. It was a fire, a bright, multi-color fire that contrasted with a deep blue, star-speckled night sky. "Well, actually, I made it more for your awesome Pansear. Where is she?" Wow, way to unknowingly ruin this relatively happy moment, Rae.

"You walk here?"

"Yeah," they answered at the same time.

"So did you pass the big, unnatural rock outside of Driftveil?"

"I actually do remember that, yes," Chloe said, though I didn't think Rae did, judging by her expression.

"That's her grave, you can leave it there." Both of their eyes widened, and all my friends looked down at the memory.

"Oh," Rae said quietly, putting the painting behind her back and sounding like she believed herself to be the worst person alive. "I'm sorry."

"It's cool," I assured, now feeling like an awful person, too.

"But these gifts are appropriate," Dina interjected, obviously wanting to stop the uncomfortable sadness. "Don't you remember, Briar? It's your birthday!"

"It's your birthday?!" Rae said excitedly, all traces of her former sadness gone.

"Happy birthday!" Chloe shouted.

"... It is?" I asked, not really believing that the day that would mark my 15th year of life could begin this painfully and awkwardly.

"Yeah!" Dina confirmed. "Gracie's is first, then mine and Earl's, and now it's your's!"

"Right right," I agreed. "And yet I'm taller than all of you." Earl glared and Dina scratched her neck. "Wow, we've been on this journey for a while, haven't we?"

"Yep!" Earl replied. "Gracie's birthday was all the way back when we were in Nimbasa, remember?"

"Uh.. yeah." I gulped. I remembered now. I had spent the day that Gracie would've turned fifteen training, and I hadn't even realized it until now. I knew I went to sleep that day feeling like I forgot something.

"Well, what do you want to do for your birthday?" Chloe asked, obviously having some ideas of her own. I thought of it for a second, all the things that I could do to celebrate muddling through life one more year. For the past seven years, I'd spent this special day with Gracie and Earl and Dina at home, having some sort of sitcom adventure, ending the cliche episode by blowing out one more candle than the year before.

But without Gracie, it didn't seem special. It was another day, a day that I would have to train and be a hero and wrestle with philosophies and remind myself that the master of dreams was dead, dead dead dead and not watching what I'd always dreamed of unfold.

"I just want to get to Opelucid," I murmured, rubbing my head for the third time.

"Really?" everyone asked at the same time.

"That's it?" Cilan prodded.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I need to beat the next gym leader and then the Elite Four and then N. That's my destiny, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Rae asked, cocking her head and Zorua copying her.

"I guess so, but you can take a break on your special day," Dina replied.

"What's so special about it?" I asked, kicking the blanket that had somehow ended up on me off and getting up. "I'm 15. That's one year older than 14, which I was yesterday. I'm not at home, I'm on a journey, and I need to act like it." Everyone looked at me pleadingly, as if they could all tell that all this day did was make me sad. "But... it'd be nice if all you traveled with me."

"Of course!" Rae agreed, hugging me. "Nothing like trudging through a swamp on your birthday with your closest friends!"

"Rae!" Chloe reprimanded.

"What?"

"There's a _swamp_?" I sighed. "Just another reason to hate my life!"

"Don't worry!" Dina assured. "I bet that we could get through by the afternoon if we left now and avoided trainers! And then there's this cool bridge, and a mall, and then we're at Opelucid."

"A mall?" I asked, thinking about this odd prospect.

"Yeah!" she replied excitedly. "And we'll all buy you whatever you want! _Right_, guys?" From the tone of her voice, I could tell that yes, it was okay with them.

"Well then I guess we should go," I ordered while stretching. And thus began our long trek through a gloomy, sticky, humid swamp. It consisted of Rae tripping over her own feet and Zorua transforming into something to catch her, Dina sinking and Earl pulling her out while screaming about his own self-proclaimed awesomeness, and me ranting about how this was the crappiest birthday ever. Most of the trainers were wet and larthargic, and we were able to talk our way out of fighting them. When others insisted, someone else fought them while I would brood.

Finally, wrinkling in the unnatural heat, the gate appeared at the horizon line of my vision. I stomped through the mud and nearly kissed the floor of the small, air-conditioned room. Everyone else followed me and agreed that we should take a break. As we sat around a cool model of Tubeline Bridge, which extended past the translucent door to my right, Cilan revealed that he'd made me a piece of cake that morning and gave it to me. Of course, it was delicious, and I was feeling sufficiently refeshed when I was done with it. Chloe proved her skill as a speed-painter when she became mesmorized by my slice of chocolate cake and drew it as I ate, after I warned her that I wasn't waiting for her. She gave me the picture as a keepsake, but it actually just made me want more.

"Alright, let's get to Opelucid," I ordered. "Sunset's coming around and I want to be there before the end of the day." Everyone else was obviously hungry and tired from walking through the moor, but they saw that I was excited and got up with weary smiles. If it weren't for the fact that I was starting to feel happy with my fifteenth year of life, I might've noticed and said that we could rest a little longer. But I didn't, so I threw open the door with birthday zeal and squinted at the setting sun.

The bridge was overrun with bikers and one rode right on up to us, an obnoxious grin plastered on his greasy, stubbly face.

My zeal dissipated and my normal scowl resumed its rightful place.

"Hey baby," the biker greeted. I was ready to send out Ming to pound his face in. "Sad to say, but this bridge is Black Empoleon territory tonight. And to get through, you're going to have to make your way through us." With the same obnoxious grin, he reached for a Poke Ball.

"Oh, so you want to battle?" I prodded. "I can do that. Ready guys?"

And thus began the epic war between us, me in my irritated birthday state, and the Black Empoleon. They were all weak, as I'd suspected, probably to busy picking their teeth to train. Even Cilan, who had relatively weak Pokemon, was able to take down a few. After carving our way through all the buffoons, I saw the entrance to Route 9. But their leader, their large, hairy leader stood in my way.

"So you're the lass that's been pounding my men?" he asked, picking his teeth, unsurprisingly. I sighed and blew my bangs from my face.

"Listen. I've had some experience with leaders of gangs in the past couple of months. There are some that do stupid things, even if they might not know what they're doing. There are others that, though they may act tough and powerful, have the same weaknesses as the rest of us. And, despite their outer bad-guy appearance, I've been able to deal with them. We've even been able to help each other out. But today, I'm not in the mood."

"That's fine with me," he replied, his grin not as obnoxious as the others. "Just beat me, and you don't have to look at me ever again." He sent out what I saw was his only Pokemon, a high-leveled Krookodile. I smiled, actually finding satisfaction in what might prove to be a challenging battle. Because Forget and Tea were already pretty worn out, I sent out something to exploit the fact that it was Dark-type: Ming. Though she was significantly smaller, I knew she was stronger and her size might even make his guard go down.

No such luck.

"Sandstorm!" Toothpick ordered, and the sand kicked up and surrounded everyone. Ming, though it scraped away at her skin, remained still and steadfast.

"You've got a big target," I pointed out with a grin. "Hit him with a Drain Punch!" Ming, a yellow blur in the gritty sand, flew at the Krookdile. With a nimbleness that was surprising, he dodged all of her attacks, which glowed orange through the storm.

"Use Crunch, Krookodile!" Toothpick ordered, laughing. Krookodile's massive jaw unhinged, covering space that was four times more than Ming occupied. It snapped up, catching her foot and eliciting an awful squeak of pain from her.

"Get that back!" I yelled. "Use Drain Punch again!" Ming, who was more ticked off than anything, did as I said and began punching with new, pained vigor.

"Keep crunching," Toothpick commanded. "You'll get her everytime." Indeed, the large jaw seemed to catch her each time. She was able to get her punches in every now and then, but it still wasn't equivalent to the damage she was taking.

"You need to be faster!" I said, even though I knew she couldn't do that. Not as a Mienfoo, like she was now.

And Ming seemed to realize that, too. So, with her tiny fist poised for a kill, she launched from the side of the ship and evolved into a Mienshao in midair. Krookdile went flying, not being able to snap her up before she got him good in the back of the throat. Everyone watched in awe as Krookodile fell and Ming stodd over him, triumphantly.

"HECK TO THE YES!" I shouted when I fully realized what happened.

"That was incredible!" Toothpick exclaimed as he returned Krookodile to his Poke Ball. "Your Mienfoo evolved in midair! Why, I'm so impressed that... that..." He scratched his stubbly chin as he thought of just what he could do to honor our awesomeness. "I know!" Toothpick jumped on the rail of the bridge.

"Whoa whoa whoa, stubbly!" exclaimed as he teetered for a moment. "I know I beat you pretty badly, but it's nothing to kill yourself over!"

"What? That's not what I'm doing." Relieved, I watched Toothpick address his cronies. "Listen up, you pathetic lot! In honor of this lass' extraordinary Mienshao, we're changing our name. We are no longer the bikers who say Black Empoleon. We are now the bikers who say Black Mienshao!" A "huzzah!" followed, and we were able to slip out before an unnecessary brawl broke out.

"You were awesome!" I praised Ming. She was even more incredible in her new form, taller and straighter and stronger. I hugged her, remembering when she first hatched, and was surprised when she hugged me back. "Aw, c'mon, everyone, group hug!" I released all my other Pokemon, and everyone joined in on the best birthday group hug ever. At one point, I even thought I felt Gracie's soft curls brush my neck, but I decided that it was just my imagination.

"Now let's go to the mall," Dina suggested. "Nothing makes a birthday better than presents!" But I looked at everyone and, surprisingly, felt sufficient enough without presents.

"Actually, I kinda wanna go on to Opelucid," I explained. "It's getting dark, and I'm tired." Everyone blinked, surprised, at my suggestion, but agreed to skip shopping and go straight to the city. So we headed on, me the happiest I'd been in a long time.

And thinking back on it, I think one of the big contributors to my happiness was knowing that it would disappear soon.

**Author's Note: Question: does anyone know how to find the 49th episode of Fairy Tail? Is that the, like, forbidden episode that can't be found anywhere, because it's starting to look that way.**

**So I did that math and I think I know the number of chapters left. It's not on Fabula's page, it's on my page. So if you wanna see it, you should go there. And while you're at it, you can author alert me. You know, 'cause you love me.**

**That **_**Monty Python **_**reference. I can't tell if it's terrible or awesome.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	31. Chapter 26

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: *ominously* 7 days...**

**Okay, I'm going to go on a little rant here for a minute. Pray tell, Fanfiction, why you messed with the search system. As in, I could type "sardonic" into the search engine, and there would only be 2 pages and this story would be at the bottom of the first one. Now, there are **_**3**_** pages, and this story's on the bottom of the second one. Care to explain? Because it's super annoying and I hate it. My story's got more followers, reviews, chapters, and has been more recently updated than half, maybe more, of the stories ahead of it, and "Sardonic" is in the title. So what the crap, man?!... Sorry. That was annoying me.**

**Yay sequel! Five... four chapters? Eh, I don't know.**

**Someone just made a reference to me. Luigi, you made a reference to me. I'm a real author now! Whooo! 1. You know, I actually thought of that before. 2. Briar's reaction to being hero = best decision I've ever made. After all, I've gotten, like, five thank you's for it. 3. I KNOW RIGHT?! And that wasn't long. If you wanna see long, you should look at my Harvest Moon fic. There's a review on there, and it's like reading a whole chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.**

Chapter 26

Kantonian Paper and Unovian Legends

It was dark by the time we'd gotten to Opelucid, and I already heard people murmuring about how the Black Empoleon- the bikers formerly known as Black Empoleon- were taken down a notch by a couple of trainers. Chloe and Rae headed back to Shopping Mall Nine, saying that they needed some painting supplies, and Dina said they just better not get mugged. Right after they left, we headed to the Pokemon Center, the only hotel in Unova. We were about to enter when, suddenly, I was struck by a 200 mile per hour wind that knocked me over and drained my lungs of oxygen.

Oh, wait, that was just Jazelle's way of giving me a hug.

"Happy birthday, Briar!" she exclaimed, encircling me in the epic bear hug.

"Uh... thanks."

"I got you a present, do you wanna see?" she asked, getting up before helping me to my feet as well. I squinted.

"How did you know it was my birthday?"

"I wasn't just going to go on a journey with you without knowing when you're birthday was," she pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What about a criminal record? Or making sure I wasn't psychotic?"

"Well, as long as you didn't look that up for _me_," she replied, blushing and scratching the back of her neck. "But whatever! Open it!" She thrust a sloppily wrapped present in my face, and I took it, grinned uncertainly. The wrapping was so bad that I couldn't distiniguish the shape of the gift, but I could see the paper. It warmed my heart. It had a picture of a Charmander, a Kantonian Charmander, lighting candles on a birthday cake with his tail, and a Bulbasaur freaking out at the scene.

"This paper's enough of a gift," I murmured.

"Oh, that? Yeah, my mom had bought it. She was Kantonian and thought it was super cute. Now open it!" I began to pick at the tape, careful not to rip the precious paper. It only took thirty seconds for Jazelle to get impatient with this method. "Just open the present!"

"I don't want to rip the paper!"

"Then give it to me!" To my horror, Jazelle snatched the present and began to violently tear the wrapping off. I yanked it from her, holding to my chest and glaring at my friend. She looked down, ashamed, and I examined the remains. I cringed at the ripped Charmanders and Bulbasaurs, but lifted the paper nonetheless. Inside was a stone, so dark that it blended with the colors of the night. It was darkest at the center and, when I held it up, I couldn't tell where the stone ended and the sky began.

"It's a Dusk Stone," Jazelle explained. "You can use it to evolve Harvey into a Chandelure. I'd been hoping to come by one, but they're pretty rare, so I was excited when I found out that a guy on the next route over had one. We battled, but he still didn't wanna give it to me. But it was okay in the end, I persuaded him." Meaning, she pinned him down and twisted his arm until he gave it to her. "So do you like it? Do ya?"

"It's great," I replied, fingering the contours in the paper. "Thank you."

"Oh, I knew you'd love it!" Jazelle said, excited. "Now Harvey can evolve whenever you feel like it! Oh, are you tired?" She was just now noticing the purple bags under my eyes and lethargic nature. Well, I guess I'm always a bit lethargic. "I'm sorry, you've probably had a long day. To bed with you!"

"Sure, King Arthur," I muttered as I stepped into the Pokemon Center. A few other trainers were falling onto the couches that surrounded almost the entire perimeter of the room, and I was more than happy to drop off my Pokemon and join them, nodding off just as I saw Dina stretch out on the couch and lay her head on a pillow.

* * *

><p>"Briar." How many days in a row had I been awoken by this single word? The first time it was soft and gentle, almost a whisper. The second time it was barked, like a command. But this time was different. It was said in a way that told me that <em>they <em>didn't want me to get up as much as _I _did.

And of course, that speaker was Dina.

"Wazzat?" I asked groggily.

"Come on, there's something outside that you should see." I rubbed my eyes and smoothed my coat as I followed my friend out of the Pokemon Center. It was colder now, already Autumn, remembering the path to Dragonspiral Tower. I recalled that I began this journey right at the the beginning of Spring. It had almost been a year. **(A/N: There's a TV program that, no matter how far you are into the game, says you're a year into your journey.)**

"A hero has arisen!" I heard in the distance.

"Oh, Arceus," I muttered as I rubbed the rest of my face in an attempt to wake me up.

"Earl, Cilan, and Jazelle are already there," Dina explained. "Come on!" We jogged over to the back of the mob Ghetsis so dramatically created, where the three were either craning their necks to see or giving in and just listening.

"What have I missed?" I asked.

"Oh, the usual," Cilan replied. "Humans suck, Pokemon should be freed."

"So this must be the climax."

"It is true!" Ghetsis screamed, pointing at the sky. I could tell that Jazelle didn't appreciate her motion being stolen. It didn't even make sense here. "Our Lord N has combined powers with the legendary Dragon Pokemon! They both are idealists, so listen to my ideals: Pokemon are creatures that are powerful beyond our comprehension. Their strength should be acknowledged, not locked away in-"

"You suck!"

"Boo!" Giggles rippled through the crowd and my head snapped in Jazelle and Earl's direction; they were both looking a bit too innocent for their own good. Up on his self-proclaimed pedastal, Ghetsis fumed for a moment before deciding that it was a good time to end his speech.

"I beg of you, _all _of you, to consider my words today and your positions with your Pokemon. Thank you." With that, he and his grunts left in just as orderly a fashion as they had back in Accumula, my first encounter with them. A couple of people murmured about the possibilty that the lunatic could be right, but their worries were quickly put to rest by a man with the funniest beard I'd seen in my entire life. Seriously, dude, try a barber that isn't blind.

"Pokemon are exactly where they need to be," he claimed in a voice that boomed over everyone else's. "Trainers and Pokemon are partners, and they bring out the best in each other. They need each other, or there would be chaos." This seemed to satsify and they all began to meander off to whatever they were supposed to be doing.

"JAZELLE!" an excited voice shouted.

"IRIS!" Jazelle yelled back, opening her arms. A girl her height with giant hair and yellow clothes crashed into our friend, giving her as epic a hug as my own last night. After a minute of excited hugging, Jazelle pulled away and introduced us. "Guys, this is Iris. She's my best friend, even though I haven't seen her in FOREVER."

"I know, right?" Iris replied in a voice that said she just couldn't believe how long it'd been.

"Anyway, she's the gym leader!" Jazelle went on.

"Really?" Dina, Earl, and I said at the same time.

"Yep," Iris chirped. "Jazelle's told me about you. I've been looking forward to you coming!"

"But there's something that we need from you and Drayden first," Jazelle explained.

"Mmhmm?"

"We're in the presence of a legend."

"That's a little dramatic," I protested.

"Being the hero is pretty dramatic," Jazelle countered. "Anyway, she's Kantonian and doesn't even know the legend of the two Dragon Pokemon."

"Really?" Iris asked in the same voice that conveyed her disbelief as before.

"Yep. We need you to elaborate."

"We would love to," Drayden answered. Besides the statement that made all the people go away this is the first I'd heard from him. "Please, follow us to our house and all will be explained." We went to a fancy house, passing a beautiful violinist playing a haunting tune. Inside, the first floor consisted mainly of a platform and a couple of dragon statues.

"Can I begin? Can I?" Iris begged.

"Of course."

"Okay, so what you've got there is the Dark Stone."

"Wait, how do you know I have the Dark Stone?"

"Jazelle told me on the way here. Anyway, the Pokemon likely to awake from that is Zekrom. Your rival, N, got the Light Stone, and from it he awakened Reshiram. Thing is, Reshiram and Zekrom were once the same Pokemon. So that Pokemon and these two twins were what brought Unova into existence, and everyone was happy! Yay!"

"But then the brothers began to argue," Drayden explained in his extremely deep voice. His beard kinda rustled when he talked, it was funny and disturbing at the same time. Like an animal was asleep on his face and talking disturbed it. "The older brother sought truth, while the other brother sought ideals. The Dragon Pokemon was forced to split in two. Zekrom sided with the older brother, and Reshiram sided with the younger brother."

"But the issue was that both of them were right," Iris continued. "The two Pokemon were once the same, so there couldn't be a winner. The poor things exhausted themselves, and the brothers resigned themselves to thinking that both sides were right, and there was no more fighting. But then their sons decided to pick the old argument back up, and the legendaries were so fed up with it that they destroyed Unova in a burst of fire and lightning! Just like that!" Jazelle snapped her fingers to add effect.

"... Is that it?" I asked.

"Yep. Basically."

"Wait, N and I aren't twins, so niether of us should have these," I pointed out. Everyone's eyes momentarily drifted to Dina and Earl before striking down my point.

"Doesn't matter," Iris replied dismissively. "The point is, Zekrom and Reshiram worked hard to create Unova again, this time into a place where people and Pokemon could live in harmony. So, logically, if that peace remains, we don't have to worry about disintegrating in a burst of lightning as the world falls into a fiery apocolypse."

"Yes," Cilan agreed. "Fiery apocolypses are bad."

"So... What do I do?"

"You have to beat N and convince him to continue letting Pokemon and people live in harmony," Drayden explained. "If you don't, the old battle of truth and ideals will resume and we may meet our impending doom."

"Awesome," I murmured. "No pressure."

"Are you ready to fight me yet?" Iris asked eagerly.

"Um, I don't know. What type are you again?"

"Dragon!" she replies excitedly.

"Well, I have a Dragon-type, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to train him a bit. Has N come yet?"

"Nope," she replied.

"Okay, I'm just gonna trian for now, then." So Dina, Earl, and I head off to train near Shopping Mall Nine. We were able to beat all the creepy bikers pretty easily before moving onto the abstract Pokemon in the bushes. Near the beginning, we talked a little bit, but eventually we started focusing on the training. I took note of both of their teams. Everything of Dina's had fully evolved: Samurrot, Stoutland, Simisear (so that's what she would've become), Musharna, Lilligant, and Cofagrigus (which scared me even more than Cryogonal.) Earl's situation is similar: Embroar, Braviary, Seismitoad, Simisage, Eeleektross, and Escavalier. I'd never seen the last two, but I'd battled a couple people with most everything else and apparently I'd flown on the Braviary. I glanced at my Pokemon: Forget (still a Servine), Tea, Ming (fully evolved, thank Arceus), Dexter (still a Fraxure), Fenris, and Harvey (I could evolve him whenever I wanted to.) I glanced at Earl and Dina's teams again before pulling out the Dusk Stone and holding it next to him. With a flash, he was bigger and looked like a purple chandelier with will-o-wisps for flames. Sweet.

I was hoping that, by the end of training, Forget and Dexter would evolve as well so my team could be as advanced as Earl and Dina's. Dexter probably would, but Forget was having that stubborn moment where she didn't want to evolve again. Before I could get her to get over it and become whatever awesome Pokemon was her final evolution, however, I saw a single man stand in the path. Then he disappeared and reappeared a little further on. Without returning her to her Poke Ball, I followed the Shadow Triad as they led me back to Tubeline Bridge. Earl and Dina had gone to Shopping Mall Nine and weren't there to tell me that I was probably being stupid.

"Hello," Ghetsis greeted with a smile that was warm and cold at the same time.

"'Sup?" I replied, not meaning a fragmented word of it.

"Did you hear my speech in Opelucid?" he prodded.

"I missed the beginning, but I got the gist of it."

"One of my best, if I do say so myself," he told me as if he were talking about discovering penicillin. "That is, until I was so _rudely _interrupted."

"That wasn't me," I said, throwing my hands up. "I would absolutely _never _interrupt one of your _wonderful _speeches."

"Good to know," he replied, glaring. Then he began to pace and I knew I was in for it. "As you know, Team Plasma has always stated that their primary goal was to liberate Pokemon in hopes to end their suffering."

"Really? I'd forgotten," I said sarcastically.

"But that is simply a purpose fabricated for N to do our bidding," he continues. I raise my brow. "The true purpose of Team Plasma is to liberate Pokemon, yes. We want stupid trainers to watch someone they look up to fall and, in their fragile state, be convinced that we are evil beings keeping Pokemon from their potential. And then, after the snowball finishes growing and trainers and Pokemon are seperated, Team Plasma will swoop in and take all the Pokemon for themselves. We shall be the only people that can have Pokemon, and those that have Pokemon rule the world!" There was a silence after Ghetsis' dramatic speech. When I realized he wanted me to respond in some way, I lazily blew some hair in my face and replied in a half-stoic, half-smartaleck voice:

"I know." Beneath his weird monocle thing, Ghetsis cocked his brow. "Well, it's pretty obvious, unless you're N. When I first heard you, I thought of Team Rocket back in Kanto. You wanted to liberate Pokemon, sure. But what after that? You wanted to capture them and- your words, not mine- 'rule the world.'" If only a Team Rocket grunt appeared them, we would've had the best fist-bump ever. Ghetsis gulped and resumed.

"How clever you are, Briar Casey. But there is nothing you can do to stop me. As we speak, N is challenging and beating Iris, and after this he's off to the Pokemon League. As I said, there's nothing you can do to stop me, so I advise you to stop trying to get in our way." Then, before I could mouth him off anymore, he and his ninjas disappeared. I grumbled as I headed back to Opelucid, frustrated that N got to Iris before me and that I couldn't yell at Ghetsis anymore. I was planning on grumbling some more and kicking something when I got to the gate, but it would be to embarassing in front of someone so high up in society.

"Giovanni!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Long time no see!"

"Hello," he replied with a semblance of a smile. "Quite a speech your friend made."

"I would consider a crazed psychopath gouging my eyes out a better friend to me than Ghetsis," I assured him. "Thanks for all the help. You know, the flowers and the saving my best friend from being kidnapped."

"Small things an old man tries to do to redeem himself, if only slightly," he answered, leaning against the wall and looking awesome in a mob boss kind of way. "Anyway, I've come to say goodbye."

"What? Already?"

"You've been gone awhile, Briar Casey," he says, cocking his brow. "Team Rocket has been in Unova for a long time and it's time for us to go home." For a moment, I wanted to ask him to take me with them, but considering the circumstances that seemed like a bad idea.

"You won't even stay to watch me beat up Team Plasma?"

"I wish I could, but I've got to go now. But I'll be watching the news, waiting for the story of the Kantonian girl that saved the land she never particularly liked."

"Bye, then." And I watched him go, not remembering my awesome fist-bumping scene until he was a dot on the horizon. Then I turned back and thought of the irony that Giovanni would be waiting for, the sardonic Kantonian saving all the cheerful Unovians from their own gullible actions.

**Author's Note: As stated before... 7 days.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	32. Chapter 27

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Current team:**

**Butler (Dewott), Level 26**

**Peridot (Lilligant), Level 26**

**Jude (Espeon), Level 26**

**Cherry (Flaafy), Level 26**

**Foxtrot (Lucario), Level 27**

**Natsu (Growlithe), Level 26**

**Badges: 4**

**Logged time: 12:53**

**Status: AWESOME**

**Yeah. I'm doing pretty great.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon B/W or B/W 2, the awesomeness that was just released two days ago.**

Chapter 27

The Road to Victory Road

I burst into the gym, where Iris looked just about ready to cry and Clyde was comforting her awkwardly.

"N..." I breathed. "Did he...?" Clyde nodded in response. I felt the tension leave me. It was in Alder's hands now. "Iris, are you ready to battle?" She sniffed and swiped at her eyes.

"I sent someone to heal my Pokemon," she explained. "They-" At that moment, an Ace Trainer (as out of breath as I was) rushed through the doors and held out three Poke Balls to the Gym Leader.

"Alright," I said, motioning towards the battle field. "Let's do this." **(A/N: LEEEROYYYYYY JENKINS!)**

* * *

><p>All I can really recall from that battle was one thing: Dexter's evolution. I was absorbed in a new discovery, found out via Xtransceiver: Jazelle had followed N to Victory Road and was trying to convice him to stop. One minute, my thoughts were occupied by all the ways that could possibly go wrong; the next, it was on Dexter, battling the terrifying Druddigon that evolved him before. He had just finished the process and was now Haxorus, a living organism composed entirely of complete and raw awesome. Druddigon had done it again.<p>

I won pretty quickly.

"Briar!" I had turned quickly from the Gym Leader, mentally addressing the urgency of catching up to N in a worst case scenario. But I turned, and Iris was looking at me, red eyes staring through every barrier I'd put up.

"Yes?"

"You can win. I know you can. For Unova." And it was in that moment, a moment of urgency and staring and fingering Poke Balls, that I realized the bitter truth that had evolved more than all my Pokemon combined throughout this journey, a wonderful journey that was nearing its end.

"I will." I loved it. "For Unova." I loved Unova.

* * *

><p>"How'd it go?" Cilan, who was waiting by the outside doors, asked as I exited.<p>

"I won," I replied. "Because I'm awesome. Now come on, we need to keep a certain crazy king from destroying Unova."

"Dina's going to battle Iris and Earl's going to battle Drayden, in case you were wondering," he explained, fast-walking to keep pace with me. "They're going to meet us when they're done."

"That's good. Hey, do you know where Victory Road is? My dramatic exit wasn't very thought through."

"I walked Jazelle to Route 10, so I've got a vague idea," he answered. "It's this way, I think." We ran through the ancient buildings of Opelucid, passing an old man walking his Herdier on the way. For the first time, I truly wondered what it would be like to lose Pokemon. Adults walking Lillipups, children racing Patrats, strangers from completely different parts of the region engaging in a battle and leaving as friends; all that would be gone. There would be no more little blonde girls drawing pictures and dreaming of becoming extrordinary; all the Pokemon would be in the wild and know nothing of battling unless it was for survival. Wait, that's not right. Team Plasma was going to capture them and with them they would control, while not the whole world, a large chunk of it.

Pokemon wouldn't be free. They'd be more trapped than ever.

But by that point, who would be able to stop them?

"How far are we?" I asked, exasperated at this line of thought.

"There's the gate!" We stopped to catch our breath as we neared the welcome sight, but pressed on as quickly as we could. We had to be sneaky on Route 10, avoiding trainers through the ninja training of watching Jazelle and the Shadow Triad. In the end, I had to fight some old person, and I kinda zoned out in this battle like I did in Iris'.

"Briar! Look!" Once again, I snapped back to reality and saw a Seismitoad, like Earl's. But craning majestically over it was the most beautiful Pokemon I've ever seen, still shimmering from her evolution. She was a snake, a green snake with stunning designs creeping up her body until they formed a sort of collar that flared out in the prettiest way.

"Forget... She's..."

"Serperior," Cilan answered with a smile.

"She's just what Gracie would've wanted to her to be," I found myself saying, and Cilan cringed at the statement. Then, as elegantly as one can do this, she Vine Whip-ed the crap out of the Seismitoad and I ruefully returned her to her Poke Ball. We entered the first gate; it was a pretty plain room with a big, fancy door and an official-looking dude standing next to it.

"Oh _heck _no, this is _not _my room!" Cilan exclaimed, horrified at the plainness.

"Only those who are worthy may step through these gates!" the man boomed, so loud that I thought I felt my hair fly back. "The key to the door is the Trio Badge!" I hastily yanked it from my badge case and showed it to him. He nodded, and the doors swung open.

"And I, um... am in the trio," Cilan said quickly before following me inside.

"So they have a room for each badge?" I questioned as we entered. "No way, that's what Kanto does!"

"Halt!" Oh, another one. "Only those worthy may pass. Show me the Basic Badge!" I examined the room as I approached the door with said badge. This one was pretty in a simple way, with a bubbling stream and bridge, vine-covered entryway, and torches that cast the room in yellow light. Fire, water, and grass; this was obviously Striaton, and Cilan seemed happy with it. I took one last look before we went on.

"Halt!" Arceus, they didn't _all _do this, did they? "Only those worthy may pass. Show me Insect Badge!" This room was grassy. And by grassy, I mean that there were Pokemon waiting to kill me. I tried to focus on the pretty flowers that infested Lenora's room as I showed my badge and the doors swung open.

"Halt!" Oh sweet Arceus, I bet they didn't do this in Kanto. "Only those worthy may pass. Show me the Bolt Badge!" I couldn't see this guy; a giant stone bug statue blocked my vision and Cilan and I mounted the stairs to the door. I flashed the badge and we continued.

"Halt!" For crying out loud! And I don't mean cry louder, announcer people. You're loud enough. "Only those worthy may pass. Show me the Quake Badge!" There was a walkway that led to the door, plain iron with a red rim. But connected to it, six cylindrical contains tamed bolts of shockingly blue lightning, which lit up the room in a scary and beautiful way. Realizing that we were on metal, I wondered if Elesa really did want to kill us all, with her bolts of lightning connected to the walkway; I showed the man the Bolt Badge and hurried us through.

"Halt!" I can't do this much longer. "Only those worthy may pass! Show me the Jet Badge!" I took my time with this one; we were in a valley of sorts, with brown cliffs on either side of us. But embedded in the rocks were shining blue stones that glowed against the darkness, a beautiful thing in the tough rock. Still looking at the stones and wondering how Clay came up with such a pretty room, I showed him my badge and the door opened.

"Halt!" This time, he had to yell with even more volume than usual, for the room was windy and loud. "Only those worthy may enter! Show me the Freeze Badge!" Cilan and I proceeded with caution, not being able to see that far ahead because of the wind blowing hair in our faces. Obviously, we weren't that cautious; we found ourselves stepping right off the platform into the chasm below. We both screamed, but were surprised to see we were still at level with the platform; the enormous amounts of wind were keeping us where we were. By his expression, I could tell that this reaction was the best part of Mr. Loudmouth's job. Cilan and I walked on air- a shaky business- to get to the other side, and I showed him my Freeze Badge so we could move on.

"Halt! Only those worthy may pass. Show me the-"

"Here! Here's your stupid badge!" He looked at it and nodded, which irritated me more than it should have. This room was- unsurprisingly- coated in ice, and I could tell by the strategic placing of the icebergs attached to the floor that it was a puzzle. I groaned; puzzles were what the Baldridge twins did, back in Nuvema when they had nothing else to focus their energy on. Luckily, this was an easy puzzle, and Cilan and I were able to complete it quickly. Hoping that Iris heated her room, I showed the badge and we continued.

The final room- mercifully silent- had a clear path to the end, with the door unobsructed. But there were two statues that lead you there. And while Cilan looked at them, confused, I placed my hands on the Charizard's snout, feeling the surge of homesickness that I got around the topiary and Giovanni and my house when my mother made Kantonian food. I began to wonder about my mother. I hadn't heard from her in a while. I had given her the right number, right...?

Cilan and I crossed the room, my hand dragging across the statue's snouts, and stepped through the doorway. In an instant, my sight was occupied by towering cliffs that looked as if they housed an abandoned mine. The rocks were orange, the doorways were blue. It stretched so high that I could just see the tips of the towers of the Pokemon League, if I craned my neck enough. It was more interesting than the cave I expected.

But it was big.

So, so big.

"Let's do this," I said for the second time that day, more determination in my voice. **(A/N: And I say again... LEEEEROYYYY JENKINS!)**

* * *

><p>Victory Road was harder to navigate than Jazelle remembered. Nonetheless, she suspected that she was familiar enough with the treacherous path that she could catch up to N before he took on the Pokemon League, or at least meet him at the gate. She ran into the occasional familiar trainer, who would point her in the right direction before commenting about how easily he beat them. When their backs were turned to her, she would gulp, thinking that her friend might have to battle him soon.<p>

Finally, she found him, a lot further on than she thought.

"N!" Her friend turned away from the entrance to the Pokemon League, and his eyes bugged out of his head when he saw her.

"Wha... How..."

"I'm more familiar with this road than most," she explained, panting as she ran up to him. Then, without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his legs (for she was so short and he was so tall that that's where they ended up) and clung. "Don't do it, N! Don't destroy Unova like this!" N was still surprised that his little friend had been able to catch up to him, but now he had to look at her like this and listen to her beg. When he adjusted to the situation, he smiled and patted her head.

"I've come too far now, Jazelle," he said. "But I would love it if you came and watched." Indeed, this sounded like a tempting option. She let go and examined him.

"So... you want to fight the strongest trainer?"

"Yes."

"And if there's someone stronger than Alder?"

"Then I shall fight them too. I have no other choice." Jazelle squinted and could tell that he was thinking about me, Briar. Then, her usual smile broke and she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Okay! I'll watch you battle. But I'm not going to root for you if you're destroying Unova; who knows, I might even pull for the other side!" she added with a mischevious smile. And though N merely smiled back as the two entered the Pokemon League, his heart was cracking as he thought of one of his only friends not rooting for him in the heat of the battle.

* * *

><p>This happened long before Cilan and I reached Victory Road's peak, the Pokemon League. And I'll admit, I thought the trainers exaggerated when they described the perilous twists and turns of the legendary path. They hadn't. It was the single most awful experience of my life. I was dirty and panting by the time I stood in front of the entrance, and I was happy to see what I hoped to be a Pokemon Center to the side, for the sake of my near-dead Pokemon and for myself. We trudged over there and rested as my Pokemon were treated.<p>

At this moment, N was finishing his battle with Grimsley, the second of the Elite Four.

While we took an unwelcome nap, he fought Caitlin, the third.

And then we were awoken by the nurse, who informed me that my Pokemon were fine now as she watched the fray unfold on a TV screen behind the counter.

I grabbed my Pokemon, who I'd never needed more than now, and unceremoniously ran through the entrance, looking at the four doorways and wondering which to fight first.

**Author's Note: Sorry this is a bit short; I decided that it was more likely that you guys would want me to update at all than wait and write a long chapter.**

**Yep. One more chapter, and an epilogue. I can't believe it either. See you guys after I beat White 2. **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	33. Chapter 28

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Current Team:**

**Butler (Samurott), Level 53**

**Foxtrot (Lucario), Level 54**

**Perdiot (Lilligant), Level 53**

**Jude (Espeon), Level 53**

**Cherry (Ampharos), Level 53**

**Natsu (Arcanine), Level 54**

**Badges: 8**

**Logged Time: 33:50**

**Status: Haven't beaten Elite Four. Disppointed in the lack of N, but glad that I can finish this story**

**I just watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. So let's see how this goes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon**

Chapter 28

Your Grand Finale

My battling of the Elite Four went something like this.

Grimsley and Caitlin was easy enough, thanks to Ming and Fenris. Marshall was pretty easy as well, once again thanks to Ming with a little help from Tea and her Acrobatics attack. The only one that posed a rather large threat was Shauntal (Shauntal?), since I didn't have a Dark-type Pokemon or very many Dark-type attacks. That consisted of a lot of random Pokemon attacking in hopes of critical hits and such, but I got her.

And I know what you're thinking. "Oh, Briar, you're so awesome, that sounds like a piece of cake for you." Well, it would've been, if it weren't for Jazelle screaming through the Xtransceiver about N's battle with Alder during all of them. For awhile, I was actually pretty sure that he'd lose.

The connection died during my battle with Bruno, the fourth of the Elite four.

"That's never good," Cilan mumbled, almost drowned out by the sound of Conkeldurr's concrete pillar trying to smash Ming, who was much to quick for him.

"How do I get to the Champion?!" I asked frantically when the battle was over and my Pokemon exhausted.

"Do you remember the pillar in the main room?" he asked me, his voice reminding me of the men at the Badge Check gates.

"Uh... yeah."

"Go up to it now, and it shall open for you!"

"Um, okay. Thanks." After that, Cilan and I dashed from his extremely dramatic battle field and towards the pillar in the center of the room, which was glowing blue.

"Cooooooool," he said, laughing. As I approached, the ground lurched and we were lowered into the depths of the mountain, and the darkness smothered any sort of vision. When the light finally broke free of its captivity and lit our way, it illuminated... stairs. So... many... _stairs._

"Arceus, why?!" Cilan screamed, his cries echoing throughout the hall. Other than that, it was silent.

"Race you," I challenged. And because I'm so incredibly fast (and because Cilan wasn't exactly in the competitive spirit), I won.

I did not like what I saw.

Alder was standing at the other end of a massive playing field, his mouth was hanging open hopelessly, and Jazelle's looked similar at the end closer to me. N was laughing, but not in a villainous, evil way, more an excited way. When he saw me, his gigantic smile grew even more.

"Briar!" he said excitedly, oblivious to the fact that everything would crash down soon enough. "I beat the Champion! Pokemon will be free now!" Oh, how excited he sounded.

"N," I mumbled, "what have you done?" His smile melted.

"Briar, I know you disagree with my ideals, but I'm the hero now. This is meant to be."

"I'm the hero too, you know!" I yelled out, pointing at myself. The words were like a cannon to my conscience. I was the hero. I admitted it. N's grey eyes widened before wrinkling with the same excited laughter.

"That's so cool, Briar! Zekrom chose you! Where is he?" Oh. Right. That.

"Uh... details?" Once again, N's sweet smile melted.

"Oh, so he hasn't awakened yet?" I shook my head, ashamed. "Oh, what a pity. I guess that means that I can show you this now." This smile was a mischevious one, and it worried me.

"Show me what?" I asked, troubled.

"This!" Then, with a flick of his wrist, a rumble shook the Earth and nearly sent Cilan and I down the stairs and tumbling to our deaths. When it mercifully ceased, I thought the insanity was done, but _no_. That was when N stabbed the Pokemon League. _With stairs_. I'm not screwing with you, the boy stabbed the Pokemon League with stairs. After staring at him, astonished, for a few moments, everyone but N (the little twerp knew what was out there and was smiling smugly) rushed to the new hole in the wall and looked at the assailant. It was a castle, an enormous castle, lined with windows and piercing the Pokemon League in dozens of different places, as a ship would tie ropes to secure it to a dock.

Just another reason to hate my life.

"N... What..."

"That's my castle!" he said, sounding like a child bragging about a toy. "It's nice, isn't it? Team Plasma's been working on it for awhile now."

"But... how did you get it in the ground?"

"Oh, details," he replied, flashing that same mischevious smile. Stupid freaking king, using my words against me. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going up to the throne room. Follow these stairs and it won't be hard to find me." His expression shifted, once again the one of pure, unadultered joy. As if this were a game. As if he was saving Unova instead of destroying it. "I look forward to doing battle with you." He dashed up the stairs, and I stayed behind, not wanting to follow him quite yet.

"Arceus, we're doomed," I found myself saying.

"No, Briar, we're not!" The words came out of Alder's mouth, as he grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. "I let you down. You said that you thought I could beat him and I didn't. This is my fault. But we have another chance, Briar! _You're _that second chance!"

"Well said, Dad," Jazelle mumbled, looking down. Wait, Jazelle Sebring... familiar eyes and ego... Kantonian mom... Dad... oh snap!

"Well, okay then," I said, trying to wrap my head around this new familial connection. Why now? There were so many other things I needed to be worrying about.

"Explanation time!" he said cheerfully, like he used to, even though this wasn't really all that great a time. "The roof on our house caved in. My wife and prized Krookodile were inside. Niether made it. I started wandering, not sure what to do. I didn't want to battle without Krookodile; I didn't want to see my daughter without my wife. So I embarked on an aimless journey, and she embarked on one to repair my broken heart." He hugged his daughter close, whispering something in her ear. Her face had never been this serious. "But I'm okay now. I'm sorry, J.J. You're the cure. I'm sorry I didn't realize this sooner."

"N," Cilan coughed.

"Oh, right, him!" Alder laughed his fraternal laugh again, and I had new appreciation for it. "And to think, he hasn't even beaten the best trainer in Unova yet." Alder laughed, sadness ringing from the sound.

"Oh, thanks ma- oh, wait, seriously?" His hand was on Jazelle's head. "_You're _the one he could never beat?! Are you just good at everything?"

"I'm actually not that smart," she admitted sheepishly. "Amanita is a billion times smarter than me."

"Um, not to break this little string of revelations," Cilan interrupted, "but N's busy destroying Unova."

"What? Right! Come on!" Cilan, Jazelle, and I rushed up the stairs, but Alder stayed behind, no doubt feeling useless without his Pokemon. I kinda wanted to tell him that he could easily knock N unconcious if he wanted to, but I had a feeling it wasn't really the time.

"Hello again, Briar Casey." My eyes narrowed, and there was so much fire in them I expected it to spill from its prison and burn this silly castle to the ground.

"Hello, Zinzolin."

"How's that Pansear of your's?" he laughed. I was about to beat the crap out of him, but Jazelle seemed prepared to do the job for me. Cilan, as he always did, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back. As he did, I looked at the crowd in front of me. The Seven Sages, minus Ghetsis. They were blocking the way to the path that led to the remainder of the castle.

"Listen, I'm kinda the hero and your precious N wants to fight me, so I need to get through."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Zinzolin roared. It looked as if one of the other sages was going to do it, but he was easily drowned out. "You cannot be allowed to proceed! Lord N must fulfill his destiny!"

And that's when they all pulled out Poke Balls.

"You all suck!" I screamed, fingering my exhausted Pokemon.

"Let me, Briar," Jazelle said gently, pushing me aside with the same daintiness. She reached into the pockets of her little jacket, the one's that I always thought were for looks, and pulled three Poke Balls from each. She released them all at the same time, and I took note: Simipour, Leavanny, Darmanitan, Zebstrika, Haxorus, and Gigalith. The sages looked terrified at their impending doom.

"Good luck," I laughed, knowing she didn't need it. She grinned and Cilan and I set off past the shocked old dudes to the path. More stairs awaited us as I listened to the beating of the sages behind me. I tried to block out my tiredness by wondering how Jazelle could fight with six Pokemon at the same time; I had a hard time with just Triple Battles.

Through the multiple halls were rooms, with big domes for doors that we were easily able to look through. Cilan and I did this occasionally, but since they were basically just a bunch of grunts, we hurried on ahead. It was after a couple more flights of stairs and long hallways that one of the Shadow Triad stopped us. Cilan jumped, but I was used to it by now.

"This is Lord N's room," he said stoically, motioning towards the door closest to us. "I feel nothing, but we wonder if you will, considering the odd companionship you've formed with him." And then he disappeared.

"Stoic little ba..." I left my sentence hanging when I entered. The room practically had its own background music; it was fun and soft and lonely all at once. N's old toys lay everywhere; a basketball hoop here, blocks there.

"N could shred?" Cilan said, picking up a skateboard on a green half-pipe. "Who would've thought!" I picked up the basketball. It had the name "Harmonia" on it.

"Let's go," I ordered, my voice cracking.

It was another hall and another set of stairs. Then we stood in front of the throne room.

"You'll never win." Cilan and I spun around and saw Ghetsis. Because that's exactly what I need right now.

"While I appreciate your encouragement, I need to go beat up your king now."

"You'll never win," he repeated, his mouth twisting evilly. "N has been trained for this. He was born for it. And you'll never win."

"Yes, yes, I get it! I'll never win! Leave me alone!" Ghetsis shrugged and swept his arms in the direction of the doorway.

"Be my guest." Taking one last look at him, we tread into the room.

N was sitting in a throne, looking down at us with what could be considered condescension. That was a lesson Jazelle forgot to teach him.

"You kept me waiting," he said. His face cracked and broke into a smile again. He leaped down from his throne and trotted towards us. "I've missed fighting you! It'll feel good to do it again." And, in that moment, Reshiram crashed through the outside wall and appeared at its master's side.

"Arceus," Cilan murmured, closing his eyes.

"What about Zekrom?" N asked hopefully, stroking his Pokemon. "Has he awakened yet?"

"Geez, N, you're just _so _focused on the detai-"

And then something weird happened.

My pocket began to shake, and I yanked the Dark Stone from it. We all looked at it, mesmorized, for a moment, until it grew too hot to hold and I dropped it. Cilan and I wisely backed away as it rose into the air, convulsing and now shooting lightning from its surface. It was like Apocolypse-in-a-Box.

And then Zekrom came forth.

It was quite dramatic, much more dramatic than all of N's attempts to do so. (Suck it, man.) He stood majestically over its other half, dark in contrast to the other's brightness. Then, with a roar as loud as a thousand Pokemon and more than a little awesome, lightning shot from his tail and engulfed the water around him, burning it dry.

"Awesomeeee," I murmured.

"Yes!" N exclaimed, much more excited than I would've expected. "You _are _the hero, Briar! Congratulations! Now catch it, quick, and we can battle." I walked towards the beast, Cilan backing away. He wasn't the hero, so he had reason to worry. As I approached, Zekrom lowered its massive head, and I realized why N was so incredibly happy back at Dragonspiral Tower. This, _this _was a good feeling. I laid my hand on its snout and stroked it, like I had the statues in Iris' room. Then I whipped out a Poke Ball and tapped it to its nose.

And I was his hero, so he allowed himself to be caught.

My pockets lightened, and I knew Fenris had been transferred by some magic of technology. I tossed the Poke Ball, and once again Zekrom's massive frame filled the room. He and Reshiram stared intensely at each other, ready for battle. As were we.

And then something weird happened, again.

Before the battle of the century commenced, N froze and looked at the doorway. Not wanting to be left out of the loop, I turned around.

"They caught up," Cilan informed unnecessarily. Dina was silhouetted against the dome, as were all of her Pokemon. And, even though all I saw were their shadows, I could tell that they would all walk through Reshiram's fire for her.

And in another second they were gone, returned to their Poke Balls and attached to my friend's belt. Still silent, she slowly and gracefully her made towards us. She glided past Zekrom and Reshiram, who moved for her (even the legendaries!), and she said nothing to me.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dina stopped in front of her lover, who looked as if he couldn't make sense of anything. She looked down at her Pokemon one last time, then detached the belt and held it out to N.

"Take them, dear, if you think that's what's right," she mumbled, softly and simply. N's eyes widened at the offering. Obviously, these Pokemon were what we had always said they'd be: six of the strongest in Unova. This was exactly what he wanted.

Then he looked at Dina, the girl he fell in love with, and I could read him like a book. He saw her Pokemon, who loved her more than any Pokemon would love him for releasing them. He saw Dina, who loved said Pokemon, as well as all others (I recalled her tears for Seary when none came from me), as if they were me or Earl or Gracie. And she loved him, so much so that she believed in him to do what he knew, deep down, was right.

He reached for the belt... then recoiled.

"I... I can't do it," he said, taking Team Plasma as we knew it down with him.

"Yay N!" Earl exclaimed as he waltzed into the room, followed by Jazelle (who looked none the worse for wear) and Alder. He went straight up to the traumatized king and slapped him on the shoulder. "Man, I'm _so _glad that's over! You should've heard her on the way here; it was all 'N is too perfect to do such horrible things' and 'N's too hot to destroy Unova!'"

"I didn't say that!" she yelled back, strapping on her belt and blushing. N didn't care; he pulled her to him and they stayed like that for a moment. A quiet moment. A peaceful moment. A moment when we thought that Earl was right, that it was all over.

And then Ghetsis showed up.

"You stupid, idiotic boy!" he screamed. Dina pulled away as he neared them, and Reshiram looked ready to burn him alive. N glared and returned the legendary to it's ball. I fumbled around my pockets and returned Zekrom, too. "You mentally disturbed, socially inept freakshow! I brought you up by hand. I took you in when no one else did. I raised you to be a _legend_. And then you throw it away! You stupid, disabled, unloved monstrosity!"

"Shut up!" Dina screamed, but N calmed her with his hand.

"Your words mean nothing more to me, _Father_." The last word was all venom, marking it null and void. Ghetsis backed away, shocked, then turned to me.

"This is _your _fault! I had the perfect plan! I am perfect! I AM PERFECT!" He was screaming, a total banshee, but I was used to it by now.

"Whatever stops the tears," I shot back. "I've won." A cannonball could've been shot at his stomach and his face would look no different. Then it distorted and fell as he laughed softly and maniacally. It was a disturbing sound that grew louder, and it reverberated throughout the hall until even Jazelle was shaking slightly.

He said something, softly, and I didn't hear him.

"Pardon?" I said, not caring if he repeated himself or not.

"I PUSHED HER!" he screamed, resorting to his former volume with a new crazy look in his eyes. I cocked my brow.

"Yeah, that doesn't help me."

"You friend was very pretty," he said, softer now. "Her life would've proved so useful to me, since she would've kept her Snivy and you wouldn't be in my way. Such a pity, then, that she had to walk in right as my grunts were telling me of a new nefarious plan." And then I remembered. The fence. A black, spiked fence, protecting anyone from falling from the ledge that Gracie had tumbled to her death from. I assumed that it had been put there after her death.

"It hadn't," I murmured. Earl's fists curled and a sob escaped Dina as they both realized what this meant. Jazelle gasped and advanced towards Ghetsis and Cilan grabbed her again, but his face was cloaked in shadow. Alder crossed his arms, and I knew that he would arrest him very soon.

"I enjoy stealing things," Ghetsis continued, the crazed look plastered in his eyes. "Pokemon are the most obvious things. Tools for unavoidable world domination. And your friend's life was no different. After I pushed her, I went back to my grunts and instructed them to act just as pathetically sad as everyone else when they found her body- which was moments later- so they didn't kick us out of town. It worked, and I did what I had come to do." Alder had had enough and stepped towards him, but I held out my arm to stop him. I thought there had been fire in my eyes before. It was cinders compared to now.

I gave a shrill whistle and a faraway shriek pierced the tense, angry air.

Earl recognized it immediately and ran from the room. Dina, since she had been there, recognized it next and followed, N scooping her up halfway and carrying her the remainder of the way. Alder caught on at this point, as did his daughter, but he left first, his daughter following and frantically asking what he was doing. Only Cilan remained, and he knew what was coming too, but he stayed rooted to the spot.

"What was that?" Ghetsis asked. I decided to let him find out.

"Her name was Graciela Pope," I said, strongly and without emotion. Ghetsis faltered slightly as another shriek rocketed through the hole in the wall. "She had alot of dreams, you know. Not that any of them would've come true; she never had the guts to chase them."

"What was that?!" he exclaimed, frantic now, but I just plowed on.

"Everyone still loved her, though, despite her spaciness and lack of ambition to follow said dreams. Professor Juniper loved her. She was actually going on an errand for her that day, and she left me her Snivy. You remember Forget-Me-Not, don't you? She just liked the name, the irony." I stepped closer to Ghetsis, who was now shivering and looking around him, paranoid. "I know what she was thinking when she tried to stop you. She was thinking that she was the good guy, and that the good guy never dies, because they have some sort magic hero armor that protects them from their unavoidable doom."

"WHAT IS IT?!" Ghetsis screamed as scurrying was heard coming up the walls.

"What did her eyes look like, Ghetsis?" I snarled. "What did they look like when they realized that there was no armor, that everyone was expendable?"

And that's when Sage burst through the hole with another shriek and eyed Ghetsis with pure mailce.

"This is Sage. He was in love with the Pansear you killed. She was the second friend you took from me. And now we're both itching for revenge." I turned when Sage pounced, not wanting to see. I found myself facing Cilan, who I'd forgotten was there. He looked me straight in the eye and said:

"I loved her."

"Um... what?"

"Cress was her original waiter," Cilan explained, and I focused on his voice and blocked out the battle behind me. "He said, 'Hey, look at the cutie at table four.' Chili made some obscene reference to how hot she was, no doubt, but I was in love immediately. Everything about her was perfect; her petite frame, her beautiful brown curls, the eternal mist in her white-less eyes. My brothers recognized this and were so excited- they had been convinced I was gay- that Cress gave the table to me. We talked for five hours that day, and she told me excitedly that it was her dream to have a secret friend, and that she couldn't wait to see me again. And while the word 'friend' was a knife to my heart, the last statement was the remedy."

"That's nice," I croaked, still not looking at the scene in front of me.

"Her flaws made her beautiful," he continued, wanting to hold me attention. "Her lack of focus was cute, her lack of ambition kept her close to me. I was going to finally ask her out that day. I was waiting in my room and my brothers came, and Chili was frowning, which is never a good sign, and..." He closed his eyes and bit his lip, and I turned away, not daring to look anymore. "I loved her just as much as you did, Briar." And then he said something so unlike him that I had to make sure my green-haired chef was the one that said it at all. "The only difference is that I've forgiven and you have not."

"How could you forgive?" I spat, glaring.

Nonetheless, I whistled again and Sage left with another shriek, still loyal to the trainer that killed his lover.

A couple of things happened after that. A badly injured Ghetsis crawled to the throne and curled into a ball, and Cilan went to the wall and wept. Jazelle and Alder were the first ones back into the hall, the Champion marching towards the murderer with Jazelle scampering behind him, saying "You were right, Dad, she was too good to do it." Earl came in and yanked Ghetsis up, whispering venomous curses into his ear as he helped Alder take him away. Dina and N came in last. N watched as his father was guided out, and Dina found herself hugging Jazelle, the girl that looked like our late best friend, and crying a bit longer.

But I knew none of this, for after Jazelle chirped her cheerful little words I crumpled to my knees and cried.

**Author's Note: Were you right, Agent Walrus? I'm pretty sure you were. I just had a feeling.**

**Oh man, I've waited a long time for that one. I've been thinking of this scene since before I started the story. Also, a little note: this was NOT how it originally ended. This was the ending that I came up with after introducing Cilan and Jazelle, who weren't originally in the story. The original was... darker, if you know what I mean. **

**Now, before I get a bunch of angry reviews (although, considering my recent number of them, even those would be welcome), let me repeat myself: there's an EPILOGUE. This is the last chapter, but it's not the end. Once that's posted, I'll get started on the sequel, which is titled ****The Indifferent Adventure of Travis Thorn**** until I think of something better or I start it, which ever comes first. **

**Thanks for reading and please, **_**please**_** review!**


	34. Epilogue

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: Wizards. I put "wizards" instead of "windows". How do you guys put up with me?**

**In case you were wondering, I haven't played since the last chapter. **

**Epilogue! Yay! I'll have the first chapter of the sequel (****The Callous Adventure of Travis Thorn****- I found a better name) up on my own account, so you can jump right into it when you're finished with this. **

**Guardian54: I had this great idea for Zinzolin's death, and it was going to be super BA and awesome, but **_**no**_**. He **_**has **_**to be the only sage to remain evil in B/W2. At least he's not good; when I got to that part I'm like "Oh God don't let Zinzolin be good!" And I'll write the darker version, if you want. **

**Libby: Libby! I was afraid you'd stopped. And I loved it, too :)**

**risen truth ruthless lies: I don't know, I feel like I'm the only one that sees the sense in Gracie's murder. Timewise, it's okay (Briar left almost immediately after she died, and Ghetsis was preparing his speech in that time), and it makes sense for her personality (she was always driven by a strong sense of good, which would've made her want to stop them.) Thank you, though. That scene was meant to be incredibly dramatic, perhaps even ostentatiously so, so I'm glad it worked. **

**Anime Girl12201: Oh, hi! Thanks for reviewing all those chapters (knowing you're a Harvest Moon fan, I bet you got the reference), it really made me feel like you were appreciating the story. And you're last one... oh, you're just so sweet :D Oh, and about that other story that I said I'd get off hiatus a week ago... sorry about that... *scratches head innocently and runs off***

**Maquerea: As I said, this chapter was kind of meant to be overly dramatic. As I designed Jazelle she seemed like the kind of girl that would be good at almost everything, and having your father be the champion certainly gets you connections ;) Oh, and I have no idea what you're talking about with the Battle Frontier thing. risen truth ruthless lies came up with him, including his name, but she called him "Thorn" as a play on "Briar" (which, I know, is actually spelled brier. I just like my spelling, okay?!)**

**LuigiCyclone:... WHY U SO GREAT?! That's all I can say to you. And I did say Bruno, dang it! I just read Pokemon Adventures, and Bruno was in it, and... man... And the Stabby Stairs were fantastic, they totally impaled all my worst enemies exactly like I wanted them to :} And thanks to the rainbow special additions, as they did it I could yell "RAINBOWWWWW!"**

**Acknowledgements will be at the end of the story. Please read them; acknowledgements are a great part of any piece of literature. Also, don't take this off your story alert, because I might add little bonus chapters if I'm not in the mood for writing a real chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. **

Epilogue

I Become a Cop, Probably Illegally

It became appearent that large doses of emotion seemed to render me unconcious, because I found myself in the Pokemon League Pokemon Center with my latest memories being of the tears that had longed to escape and finally became mutinous so they could be set free. Dina, N, Cilan, and Jazelle were there, and all congratulated me on my beating the Pokemon League and being a hero and every other achievement I'd obtained since the start.

And that's when Alder and Earl came in, both looking defeated and angry. The Shadow Triad ambushed them and saved Ghetsis, they told me, and I knew that every achievement I could ever accomplish was for naught, and they would be unless Cilan didn't hold me back next time.

* * *

><p>Though every ounce of exhaustion pushed away throughout the journey crept up on me by the time Earl's Braviary delivered me to Nuvema, it was an ecstatic reunion on my parent's part. They wrapped their arms around me and kissed me and told me how proud they were of me and how worried they'd been and Briar, why didn't you ever call? Mrs. Baldridge looked like she might be mad at first, but then started crying and crushed her children in a hug. Mr. Baldridge did the same, eyeing N suspiciously the entire time (unlike me, they'd called their parents before going to the Pokemon League.) Jazelle and Alder, who had both come as well, started hugging at this point as well. And it was there that two unlikely people had something in common: Mrs. Pope had no daughter to hug, and N had no father to welcome him home. The former hugged me instead, stuttering inaudible things; the latter lowered his head and walked into the shadows.<p>

After my parents understood that I was tired and I just wanted to sleep, they let me go to bed, my dad picking me up and carrying me up the stairs like he used to when I was little. When he did this, there was no more pressure, no more dreams to follow or murdered best friends to avenge. It was just me, at home, after a long journey and in desperate need of my own bed. It was because of this lack of responsibility that I fell asleep in his arms and smiled warmly the next morning when I realized that I'd woken up in my own bed.

My legs followed my nose, which picked up the familiar scent of Kantonian food, which I hadn't realized how much I'd loved until its scent tickled my senses once more. I took off my trench coat- I didn't recall taking it off my entire journey and it was like shedding another skin- and replaced it with a fluffy robe I'd gotten for my thirteenth birthday. Two years ago. I had turned fifteen and forgotten to call my mother.

I was glad that my hair remained in its usual braid and that the robe was covering my grimy clothes when I got downstairs, because there was a weird dude sitting at our table drinking coffee as my mother made eggs with cheese and dill, one of my favorites.

"Uh... who are you?"

"Oh! Miss Casey!" the guy cried, nearly spilling his coffee. He was wearing a trench coat not unlike the one I'd just taken off, but it was darker and opened to reveal nice clothes. "Pardon! My plan, it was to turn into your mother, and my entrance, it would be quite dramatic-"

"Uh, that's okay. That would've been weird. I ask again, who are you and why are you drinking our coffee?"

"This is Looker, dear," my mother explained as she handed me a mountain of protein.

"... That doesn't help me."

"Allow me to explain," he elaborated. "My name- ah, no, I shall inform you of my code name only. My code name, it is Looker. I have come to Unova on an assignment. That assignment, it is to catch the Seven Sages. But, I am not familiar with Unova, nor Team Plasma. But you, trainer of amazing skill, took down them down almost single-handedly, that is what I hear! I would like to offer you something. A job offer, that's what I'd like to offer you." I cocked my brow.

"A job?"

"A job?" my mother echoed, sounding slightly worried.

"Yes. A sort of detective, that is the job. You would travel Unova and find the Seven Sages, that is what you would do!"

"Is it dangerous?" my mother asked.

"Do I get a gun?" I questioned at the same time.

"It depends... and yes." Looker pulled his jacket back to reveal a shiny black gun, not unlike the one Ghetsis pointed at Jazelle. But while that one screamed "murder", this one implied "justice." A vison of me pointing it at Ghetsis' nose and pulling the triggers made me shiver and grin.

"Oh my..."

"I'll do it." Both seemed to be taken off guard by this, but I had never been so sure of anything. I could fulfill that dream of being the best trainer later; right now, I was more preoccupied with vengeance.

"But Briar, you just got home!" my mother said, her eyes pleading. She was looking down at me, her wavy honey brown hair coming out of her bun and her long legs allowing her to show me her worry from a whole new angle, a taller one, a rarer one. It was true, I'd just gotten home.

No, this wasn't my home. I had two: Pallette Town was one, and the other was the entire Unova region, not just this little house in a little town. I had wanted to protect it from N and his biased decisions before, and it became my passion. Now I could fulfill my passion, with a gun.

"I know, Mom. But this is something I need to do. I'll come home often." As I said the last sentence, I felt for the newest Poke Ball, but it was in my coat upstairs. My mother nodded and began to cry again, and Looker motioned as if he would wait outside. I nodded and my dad came down, groggily murmuring: "What'd I miss?"

* * *

><p>"It was a nice dinner," N told me as he stroked Reshiram, far away from the village so as not to scare the children. "Mrs. Baldridge seemed to like me-"<p>

"Really? She usually doesn't like anyone."

"I don't know, maybe she was just in a good mood. Anyway, she seemed to like me, but Mr. Baldridge kept giving me these weird looks, kind of like the ones Earl gives me sometimes."

"That makes sense."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're dating his dau- never mind. So you didn't accidentally talk to a Pokemon or prophesize or anything?"

"Well, I almost did sometimes, but Dina or Earl would kick me to tell me to stop. I learned that, like you said, prophesizing and talking about friendship with Pokemon is bad. Also, surprisingly, I should avoid talking to Mrs. Baldridge about her flowers. Earl saved me that time."

"Yeah. Right." Mrs. Baldridge loved her flowers and her twerp of a son knew that. I was thinking of all the ways that I could torture him for bullying N like that when I noticed how somber he'd become. "Hey, what's wrong?" It took a moment for him to answer.

"I'm leaving, Briar." My eyes nearly popped out of my head.

"You... You're _what_? But... but why? You're the hero, you're a good guy now! Why now?"

"I need to do what I set out to do in the first place," he explained, returning Reshiram. "I need to help Pokemon. I've seen so many good trainers here that I feel unnecessary, but there are other regions. I want to go to them and help my friends there." I couldn't believe it. Why now?

"What did Dina say?" I asked, the only words I could find.

"She told me she didn't want me to leave her, so I offered to take her with me."

"WHOA WHOA WHOA. You offered to _run away _with my best friend?" N cocked his head.

"I never associated that term with something bad, but it appears you do."

"Two teenagers running away together indicates that they find a grungy motel and get crazy every night," I explained as quickly as possible to negate some of the awkwardness.

"Um... what does getting crazy mean?"

"Okay, so we don't have to worry about that. Seriously, though, how would you survive?" N snorted.

"Are you kidding me? Team Plasma had _a lot _of money, and since the original holder of it is now a wanted criminal for murdering teenage girls, it's mine. Someone even offered to sell me their boat. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the S.S. Anne, would you?" I wasn't drinking anything, so instead I nearly choked on my own spit.

"Uh-" _cough cough_ "-no, I-" _cough _"-don't."

"Really? Because it seems like you do."

"I don't know anything about it so get off my case!" What? I think near-death experiences merit grumpiness. "Anyway, so you plan on flying on Reshiram to some region across the sea so you can buy a yacht and help Pokemon with abusive trainers with Dina?"

"I wasn't planning on doing it with Dina, but that would make it the best decision in the world."

"Awwww- NO. I will not go all romantic on you for this. And what did she say when you asked?"

"That she'd think about it." Make that two near-death experiences in a day.

"I'll-" _cough _"-be right back." I ran all the way to the Baldridge's, where my best friend sat underneath a tree, the same way Gracie used to. "Did N offer to run away with you?" She looked up at me, shocked, then turned away.

"Yeah. But if you're worried about me and my virginity, you can be rest assured that it's okay."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that until someone tells N where babies come from. What were you going to say?"

"What should I say, Briar?" she prodded, irritated and still not looking at me. "I love him, and I don't like it here anymore. Everywhere I look I see Mrs. Pope crying at the funeral, or Seary's eyes rolling to the back of her head, or you, strong Briar, crumpled on the ground after holding it together so long for the rest of us." Dina stood up and wiped off her shorts. "I'm not sure if I like Unova anymore, Briar. But I love him."

"Oh... I see." Suddenly, her arms were wrapped around me and I looked down at her small frame.

"But you're my best friend. I'm so honored to be your best friend." I blinked back the tears so I could hold it together a bit longer for her.

"But what about E-"

"Hey guys!" Her twin burst from the house, glowing with excitement. "Guess who just called me?"

"The all-powerful ruler of the universe?" I answered.

"No! Rae, the painter girl! She and Chloe are going back to Hoenn and offered to take me with them so I can challenge the Pokemon League there!" I cocked my head.

"But why would she invite you and n- oh, okay. Are you going?"

"Of course I'm going! Hoenn's one of the best places for trainers to go! Not only do they have the Pokemon League, but they've got the Battle Frontier, too! They'll even give me painting lessons, isn't that cool?"

"That's great, Earl!" Dina chirped, excited for him. "You get to follow your dream."

"We all do," I found myself saying, putting a hand on both of their heads. Dina smiled, but Earl swatted it away.

"This merits a new name. Something like-"

"So are you two going out now?" I asked to avoid the trauma.

"Me and Rae? Naw, not yet. At the moment, I'm in love with my Braviary." He flashed a mischevious grin, one I hadn't seen for a long time. "Turns out, Dad was wrong again. It's a girl."

* * *

><p>"When are you leaving?"<p>

"Late tonight or early tomorrow."

"Ah, I see. And you're going to have all your money and be ready to go by then?"

"Yeah. It's not like I had much. Hey, did you talk to Dina?"

"Yeah."

"What'd she say?"

"What she said to you. That she'd think about it." But I knew the answer.

"Dina came early this morning and left you this message," my mother said when I came downstairs, not surprising me at all. I ripped the envelope open and read the goodbye letter:

_My best friend Briar,_

_ As you surely know, I have left with N. I had said to you that I didn't like Unova anymore. But I don't think that's the case; rather, I believe I never liked it but felt like it was necessary to stay. I always felt responsible for keeping Gracie anchored in the real world and you from killing yourself and Earl from saying things that would get him killed._

_ But Gracie's gone now, at Ghetsis' hand, which I know you'll avenge if it takes the rest of your life (Professor Juniper told me about the job offer; Looker's staying with her.) And as for the two of you... You don't need me anymore. But Pokemon do, and N does, so I need to go as much as you need to avenge Gracie and he needs to get stronger. You and Earl have grown so much, Briar, that I don't worry about him going to another region or you hunting down the Sages. He's my strong, idiot brother, and you're the hero. Don't forget it, don't deny it. _

_ So goodbye, my heroic best friend. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you. Your humbler friend, Dina._

I didn't have to hold it in any longer, so I let a little tear fall as I thought of Dina and how proud she was of me.

* * *

><p>It had only ever been Gracie and Mrs. Pope in their house; their father left the mother two weeks after the baby had been born. How lonely this year must've been for her, how lonely life would always be. I knocked on the door, not knowing if I would help her find closure or make her hurt more. The house had been vibrant when I left, still remnants of Gracie there, but it seemed flat and lifeless now. Mrs. Pope, who appeared to have some of her old vigor back, yelled for me to come in.<p>

It wasn't lifeless because our neighbor's life ended; it was lifeless because all of its contents were packed away in boxes and its occupant was moving.

"What... What's going on?"

"Oh, hi Briar!" she greeted, happy at the moment. "Yes, I've decided to leave Nuvema and go somewhere new. I'm not constantly sad over my daughter's death anymore; she wouldn't want that. But this house... she lived here all her life, and she was my life, so I feel... I don't know, like it's not mine anymore."

"Yeah," I replied. She could've said it had too many painful memories, but not Mrs. Pope. This house was either her and her daughter's or niether, and she felt out of place now.

"Especially with Dina gone and Earl leaving soon and you about to go save the world again, I just don't think this is the place for me anymore. I need to start a new life. I won't forget her, I won't forget my Graciela-" her voice faltered with her daughter's name "-, but I need to move on. I can't live with her death like this anymore." She resumed taping up a box as I debated how to deliver the news.

"Actually, her death is why I am here." Mrs. Pope froze and turned around, her eyes already red. "Her fall... It's not all that it seems. Your daughter died for much nobler causes than we originally thought." And so I told Mrs. Pope the full story behind the murder of her child, and ended up staying there for three hours as she cried. And reader, I have done many hard things, and I'm sure you have too, but I've never done something and never will do something as difficult as what I just described to you. After all, how do you really tell a woman that someone killed her daughter?

* * *

><p><em>Meet you at the base ;)<em>

This was all I got from Jazelle before she and Alder disappeared. For some reason, I found myself questioning Looker on the subject, right before we left.

"Oh, yes. Pardon, I forgot. I offered her a job, I did. Partners, that's what you'll be."

"Cool." I certainly felt safer now.

* * *

><p>"This was something," I told Cilan as we neared his home. I could already hear the clatter as the restaurant realized that their beloved cook had returned.<p>

"What was something? That's a broad statement."

"This journey. I left Nuvema as the bitter Kantonian, now I'm a Unovian hero. And you left as the chef/Gym Leader with funny hair, and now you're an accomplice to the destruction of Team Plasma. Earl's got a potential girlfriend, Dina and N are jetting around the world on a legendary, helping Pokemon, I'm a cop and my partner's the strongest trainer in the region."

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "But there were some low points." "

"Like that stink bomb in Nimbasa."

"I was more thinking about the discovery of the murder of the person we loved most."

"Oh, that? Yeah, that sucked too." The door opened and I saw the brother's silhouettes, and I knew I had precious little time left. "Would you do it again, though?"

"Pardon?"

"This journey. Despite all the crap, would you do it again?" I could see the whiteness of Chili's teeth and the water-like sway of Cress' hair as they approached.

"Yeah," he told me. "I would. Gladly." And that's when triplets were reunited, and I left them to their merrymaking.

* * *

><p><em>9 months later...<em>

"I still have three Sages to find," I told Looker as we spoke in his office in Castelia. "Rood, Zinzolin, and Ghetsis." Ryoku, Giallo, and Bronius all came peacefully; Gorm threw himself in the river, preferring death over justice. His body has yet to be found.

"But four Sages, you've caught them!" Looker pleaded. "Such an honor, take it, please! Your assignment, you can still keep it!" Because of all the hard work I'd done, I was being offered the honor of a permanent position on the force at the humble age of fifteen, as opposed to Agent Tagumi (you had to be a veteran to know his last name), who was enlisted a year ago at sixteen. I had talked to him a couple times; he was pretty cool. This would make me the youngest person to ever be granted the title Agent, for I was progressing even faster than Jazelle.

Agent Briar Casey. It had a nice ring to it.

"But don't you think I should wait until I've captured all my targets?" I asked. "You should be offering this to Jazelle, not me."

"But you, that's what we want!" he insisted. "Jazelle, she's next. Please, join us!" It was at that moment that my partner walked in and smiled at us. She had to get rid of her glasses and replace them with contacts to get the required 20-20 vision, and had to lose the Converse because they were considered unprofessional.

"What'cha talkin' 'bout?" she asked as she made her way next to me. I looked down at my coat, and recalled all the times that Looker had complimented it, how a lot of people complimented it (Tagumi most of all, now that I thought about it), telling me how much I looked like a cop.

I took it off and handed it to Jazelle.

"Here you go," I said as she took it, shocked. "You're getting taller, so it should fit you better, anyway." Yes, I meant in length. But as I left I knew that Looker was aware of the deeper meaning: the title fit her better, like my beloved coat. As I rubbed my bare arms, I heard Looker discussing the position in his foreign way to my partner, giving up on me.

I stopped trying to warm myself and stared straight ahead, embracing this unfamiliar cold. I couldn't be Agent Briar Casey yet, not until I was fit to avenge my best friend.

The line for CasteliaCones parted like the Red Sea as I approached, probably due to the fact that I no longer had a coat to hide my gun, which I'd christened Todd (because it was so simple it had to be Kantonian.) I bought one of the delicious treats, smiling at their creator as I recalled the story Cilan told me so long before, where he challenged the poser chef to a cook-off to show him what real culinary skill meant.

Then I recalled Earl, meeting a friend, a rich friend, with a name he could only wish for. I hadn't heard from him in a while.

Then I recalled Dina, and when her and N's lips met in the rain in Mistralton. I hadn't heard from her at all.

Then I recalled Jazelle, and how she was able to toss around the infamous Shadow Triad as if they were rag dolls. She'd been a bit lax on her martial arts lately, but she was a perfect shot with a gun by now.

But I didn't recall anything for myself. There were lots of things, like when I defeated the gym leaders or watched my friend die or became the hero. But none of that was important, not yet. The real recollections would come later. They would come after all my demons, my inexorable demons, had fled from an overpowering light, and I would be free from all the guilt and the bitterness and the sorrow that had eaten, eaten away for so long that it became as natural as breathing. It was far away, so out of my reach that I didn't even feel taunted.

But, as N would say if he were here, I could dream. I could always continue to dream.

**Author's Note: *Boulevard of Broken Dreams starts playing in the background***

**First off, I would like to thank Fabula for letting me use this account when I was too impatient to wait for Fanfiction to let me post stories. I would also like to thank her and all the people I know who have read this story for, well... reading it. I really didn't expect you to when I asked.**

**I would like to thank Nintendo for making the awesomeness that is Pokemon, and my beloved sister Areo for introducing it to me.**

**I would like to thank my cats for being fuzzy and laying on my feet when they're cold.**

**I would like to thank processed corn and cheese for making Dorito's.**

**And I would love love LOVE to thank all the people that have stayed with this story for so long and especially if you've reviewed. Those really kept me going for 34 chapters and many, many words (I can only see 94,384 at the moment.) Thanks to risen truth ruthless lies for reviewing every chapter and being a human generator, Agent Walrus for making me laugh out loud with her grammatically correct reviews, Dodgerjoey for creating a new world with me, afeleon for telling me about New Zealand, Jinx for being a Cilan fangirl, Maquerea for writing awesome fanfiction and honoring mine with his praise, Anime Girl12201 for reviewing so many chapters and reading it so late in the game, LuigiCyclone for referencing me, Spider Radio for writing poetry for the story, Guardian54 for getting all the right reactions when I portray Team Plasma as the awful people they are, AnonymousisSleepy for liking the crackish aspects, Solyeuse for liking filler like I do, Y-ko for making me feel good with their crappy flames, clarinet97 for making me feel incredibly good about myself with such a great review, and Darkkami for being the first real reviewer and for making it the best one ever. My reviewers are better than your's, SUCK IT.**

**Lastly, I would like to dedicate this book to SkullChicka. Do you remember a year ago, Prussia, when you talked about unhappy things and I asked how to make you happier? You said to finish this story. And even if you aren't necessarily caught up, this story was always for you, and I'm not sure if I could've finished if it wasn't for you. So thanks for always being awesome and I hope the completion of my first ever fanfiction brings you the happiness I was aiming for.**

**Thanks for reading this ungodly long author's note, the sequel is on sushi4427's fanfiction now (or should be extremely soon), and you can review, but it's not as necessary anymore :)**


	35. BONUS

_The Sardonic Adventure of Briar Casey_

**Author's Note: ****Callous**** is officially up, in case you were wondering.**

**Also, thank you Fabula for drawing the cover! Even though I'm done with the story now! Seriously, it's really great. But you can't see it very well here; go to Fabula-et-Dolum on deviantArt and it's there. Sorry, Fanfiction doesn't let me do links.**

**So here's a little bonus chapter that I thought up awhile ago. It's just a couple of little stories about Cilan and Gracie, and that cute stuff. She'll actually talk! And be alive! Been awhile since she's said anything, hasn't it?**

**So I was thinking today: I could've put "CilanxOC" in the description, and it would totally make sense if everyone thought that that meant CilanxBriar, considering the title and some of the scenes I made with them ( **_**I **_**even started shipping them a little bit during Twist Mountain.) And I could, and it would be totally true, it would just be CilanxGRACIE, not CilanxBriar. I would be such a troll :} But I won't, because I think I'd give Jinx a heart attack.**

**Libby! Lucky. My cats are psychopaths that decapitated our carnations.**

**OH MY GOODNESS KIWIS ARE SO FLIPPIN' CUTE. You should've seen my freak out and my sister wonder why a) I was freaking out and b) why I was looking at small birds from New Zealand.**

**AnonymousIsSleepy, it's been awhile! Sage would've done much more than that... And yes, Briar will be making an appearance in the sequel. She's actually a pretty big character.**

**Anime Girl! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'll be focusing on these stories a lot now, or at least trying to. **

**AGENT WALRUS. AGENTE MORSA. See, Fabula, she isn't dead! And you DID know, I knew it! I saw your post and just knew. And thank you for being the only person to acknowledge the importance of Briar crying at the end! I spent that entire story, making her all like "I never cry" and then it's like BAM. She cries. C'mon, guys, **_**I **_**almost cried while writing that!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

BONUS

The Dreamer and the Chef

It wasn't particularly busy that day at the Striaton Cafe, and therefore Cilan was bored. Cress was just being Cress, rather apathetic and secretly enjoying the little amount of people he had to serve. Chili was cooking this shift, but Cilan was thankful that he was about to take over the kitchen. Despite being a people person, the green-haired brother preferred the stove to the tables any day.

Through the corner of his eye, Cilan could see Chili exiting the kitchen, anxious to begin his shift. It was obvious that, of the triplets, Cilan enjoyed cooking the most. Chili liked to talk to people and get tips, and Cress was just good at the math and girls thought that he was hot (the irony), which was good for business.

As Cilan began to untie his apron so he could put it in his excited brother's outstretched hands, Cress came over with a rare grin on his face. Leaning in, he whispered:

"Hey, look at the cutie at table four." His fire and grass counterparts looked over his shoulders with two very different reactions. Chili's grin widened as he all but yelled:

"Oh yeah, she's a hot one!" Cress rolled his eyes, which made them shift to his other brother. Upon seeing him, they widened.

Cilan's eyes were glazed over as he looked at the girl Cress pointed out, yet were also unbearably bright. His mouth was open slightly, and his breathing was slowed. Cress was right; she was beautiful. Her hair was long, curly, and brown, and she was so tiny. Her eyes were misty as she looked at the menu, like they were on it but she wasn't _actually _looking at it, and they lacked whites, just like his.

At first glance, Chili thought he was dead (despite his standing position.) But Cress knew better. He simply didn't believe it.

"Sweet Arceus, what's wrong with you, man?!" Chili exclaimed, shaking his brother's shoulders. Despite the earthquake in his upper-body, Cilan was incapable of looking away from the girl at table four.

"You can't be in love with her," Cress argued, even though his green-haired brother hadn't said a word. "Aren't you gay?"

"I'M NOT GAY," Cilan argued, finally tearing his eyes away. The comment, though, turned most eyes on him.

"Arceus, Chili, I think it's the apocolypse!"

"Only you could say that with next to no emotion, Cress," Cilan pointed out, his eyes narrowing.

"Our brother _is not gay_!" Chili added excitedly, pumping his fists.

"Will you stop saying that?! Everyone's staring..."

"But the only person in here that matters to you will be _happy _to hear it," Cress said with a grin. "Here, you can take her table if you want. I don't want to deprive you of this... rare oppurtunity." There was no competition in Cilan's mind as Cress handed him his waiter's pad.

_Relax, Cilan _he thought. _You are a _waiter_. Just put on your waiter act and be cool. _Cilan did this, his normal serving expression locked into place, but quickly shook it away. _No, too fake. How about a fan-service waiter? _His face was distorted in ways he didn't think possible, and that option was discarded even faster than the first. _Yeah, no. What do I do? _His expression turned to one of thoughtfulness, and that was what it was when the girl turned to him and smiled.

"Hello!" she chirped, her big blue eyes crinkling with her smile. _Ba-dump._

_Play it cool._

"Hello," Cilan replied, his voice miraculously staying stable. "My name is Cilan-"

"You're the Gym Leader!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in recognition but her cheeky smile remaining.

_Oh sweet Arceus she knows who I am._

"That's right," he said, trying to look and sound suave. "I'm the Grass-type Gym Leader." The girl looked at him for a moment, and Cilan was unsure of what to do. This feeling only increased when she broke down into laughter.

"What?" he asked, blushing.

"It's just... your face... it looks... it..." She was unable to finish, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Alright, I get it," he murmured, his face redder than the Cheri Berries in the kitchen (where Chili was blatantly spying on him) and mentally smacking himself for trying to be suave. Her laughter immediately ceased as she, too, blushed in embarassment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized, her voice boiling over with shame. "That was rude, I'm so sorry. My name's Graciela Pope. Or Gracie. Whichever you prefer." For days afterwards, the sound of her hastily saying her name would ring in Cilan's head. "Cilan, are you okay? You look faint." He was, indeed, and her saying his name didn't help. "Cilan!" Gracie shot up from her chair and pulled out the chair opposite her, which Cilan gratefully fell into. Gracie kneeled down next to it. "Are you okay?" Cilan's eyes turned to the side and were absorbed in her's, less misty now and housing concern.

"I'm perfect," he whispered without thinking.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing," he replied quickly, sitting himself up. At this, Gracie began to laugh again and she made her way back to her seat.

"You seem flaky sometimes," she told him, and he blushed again. "But that's okay. I am, too." Two tall glasses of water were placed in front of Cilan and Gracie, and the chef mentally cursed his grinning brother for lacking variety.

"Oh, thank you, but I didn't order yet," she responded, taking a sip.

"On the house. Don't worry about it. And don't worry about your shift, bro."

_Screw you, Cress, and your freaking apathetic matchmaking _Cilan mentally spat.

"He seems nice," Gracie remarked.

"Him? Oh, yeah, he's okay."

"He certainly likes water," she laughed as she swirled what must've been half a gallon of the drink around in the tall glass.

"Oh, you have no idea. I hear him sometimes say in his sleep that he wishes the ocean would become a human so he can take it to one of those chapels in Nimbasa and marry it." It was at that moment that Gracie was taking another careful sip of the water, but all her efforts went to waste as she lost it with a laugh. Cilan was unsure of how to react until she wiped her mouth and faced him again.

"Is that what a spit-take is?" she asked curiously, her head tilted and her eyes now displaying curiosity. Here he couldn't help himself, and he laughed so loudly that he drew stares. And seeing this, Gracie couldn't help but join him, too.

* * *

><p>"Not to destroy this wonderful moment," Cress interrupted many hours later, "but we're about to close."<p>

"Wait, what time is it?" Gracie asked frantically.

"Almost seven," Chili answered, sidling up next to his brother. "You came in at two."

"Wha- oh no!" she exclaimed, hurriedly getting out of her chair.

"What's wrong?" Cilan asked, already missing her.

"I was supposed to go on an errand for Professor Juniper, but I came here to eat first! Oh, it's surely too late now..."

"Don't worry," Cilan replied, wanting her to not be so distressed. "I'm sure the professor will understand."

"Yeah," Cress agreed sarcastically. "Her eating lunch for five hours is a great excuse."

"You're right," she sighed. "But the professor's really understanding, I bet she'll be okay with it."

"Yeah, totally." _'Yeah, totally'? Really? That's the best you can say?_ It seemed to do the trick, though. She relaxed and smiled at the waiter, making him feel faint for the billionth time that night.

"Thanks, Cilan. You're a great friend." Behind her, Cress bowed his head and Chili pretended to be shot as the same phrase echoed in all their minds: friend-zoned. "I'll see you another time!" With this final exclamation, she rushed out the door and in the direction of her home town.

"A moment of silence for our brother in the friend zone," Chili whispered, wiping imaginary tears as he and Cress put their hands over their hearts.

"She said she'd come back," Cilan said instead, a smile plastered on his face. "She said she would see me again!" His water and fire counterparts glanced at each other before Cress muttered "That's one way to look at it" and began to clean up the tables.

* * *

><p>"Did that big group ever come in?" Cilan asked lazily, kicking a small, plastic plant and catching it with his foot as Chili examined the book of reservations.<p>

"What big group?"

"The one with, like, twelve people. There aren't that many big groups."

"I don't know what you mean," Chili replied, now simply flipping through the pages and letting the breeze blow on his face. As I'm sure you can tell, the restaurant wasn't open yet; either that or the Striaton Cafe had terrible service, and Cilan would rather take a dip in Reversal Mountain's many lava pools than let that happen.

"For Arceus' sake, give me the book." With a little reluctance, Chili ceased fanning himself and let Cilan snatch the list from his hands. Grumbling slightly (he was normally fine in the mornings, but today he felt like biting someone's head off), he opened the book to where the bookmark was planted, at that day's reservations. He was about to turn the page to view yesterday's when a name caught his eye: Pope, party of 1. "What... wha..." He shoved the list in his brother's face. "You man the phone, when did someone make this reservation?!"

"Holland, party of 3?"

"No, Pope! Party of one!"

"Oh, yeah, that." Chili rubbed his chin in thoughtful deliberation. "I remember that one. It was some girl, and she said that she really wanted to make sure she had a seat and that's why she was making a reservation, even though it was just her. Hey, wait, she was that one hot chick that made you blush for days after she showed up! And proved you weren't gay! I think she told me to tell you hi, actually."

"Oh, ever observant Chili, why is it that Unova isn't making idols and sacrifices to you?"

"Well, I have a theory-"

"It's because you're an idiot!" With that, Cilan ran through the door that connected to their house. As he scrambled to find his other, cleaner uniform (he had fallen asleep in it the night before and ended up keeping it on), he tried to recall their conversation. She was from Nuvema, she had three best friends ("One's a grump, but she's my grump so it's okay. The twins are kind of weird, always completing each other's sentences and such, but I love them too."), she had a Snivy but didn't like bringing it with her when she traveled because it might get hurt, and she lived with her mother and didn't have a dad. The restaurant had opened by the time Cilan had finished straightening his tie, and he got the death glare from his brothers and a couple of waiters when he strutted in.

Cilan didn't blame them. The day was one of the busiest he'd seen in a long time, to the point where every table was filled up and his meticulous dressing was quickly laid to waste. He was glad that Gracie had made a reservation, because even with it just being her he wasn't sure if they'd have been able to squeeze her in. As the day progressed, he became tired and even grumpier than he had been that morning. He couldn't focus; he was too busy looking at the door, waiting for her to come skipping in. It was when the sun started shining in his eyes no matter where he went that he lost hope.

"Cilan, you look awful!" The sun glared no longer; he spun around and smiled at Gracie's small frame. "Wait, what was that? Oh, I'm sorry, I've been grumpy today and now I'm being rude, I'm sorry!" The memory of Cilan purposefully spitting in a particularly obnoxious couple's food fought to be acknowledged, but he pushed it away.

"Don't worry about it. I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to come."

"I wasn't sure I'd be able to, either," she admitted, eyeing the packed tables. "I decided to run the errand before eating this time, but Professor Juniper's friend was..." Gracie seemed to be digging in her brain for the right word. "She's... uh..." Cilan swallowed his laughter as she scratched her head, looking for the right word. "She's very... tall."

"Fennel, right?" he asked, a bit of his laughter escaping. "I think the word you're looking for is 'unhinged'."

"I said no such thing!" she argued, but the smile on her face gave her away. Her expression turned to one of concern, however, after getting a longer look at Cilan. "Oh my, you're really aren't looking too good, Cilan. Maybe you should take a bre-"

"NO," he stated, making her jump. "No breaks."

"But-"

"No breaks."

"I-"

"I told you this last time I saw you. I don't take breaks."

"But... but that's just unhealthy!" she protested, seemingly at a loss for what to do. A waitress was weaving her way through the tables, and Gracie stopped her. "Can you make him take a break?"

"Actually, he's my boss, so I can't make him do anything," she replied. Then, taking in Gracie and seeing Cilan's softened face and recalling the rumors of their green-haired manager finally finding someone, she grinned and added: "But maybe you can." Before she could be quiestioned, she shot through the tables and left Gracie staring at him defiantly.

"You need a break."

"I really don't, Gra-" But she wrapped both of her tiny hands around his significantly larger one, and his mouth was sealed shut and his legs complacent.

"Cress, Chili, I'm taking Cilan for a walk," she called to the two teenagers at the entrance.

"I'm not a dog," Cilan murmured, saying it more out of instinct and not really acknowledging his own words.

"You two have fun," Cress answered, Chili biting back laughter.

The crisp, fresh air and the feeling of Gracie's hands on his was enough to erase all of Cilan's former grumpiness and believe that he could die right then and be completely happy. She released his hand, which sent his stomach plummeting, but brought it back when she turned and smiled at him. The sun was at her back now, and she was scarce more than a silhouette, her hair edged with the gold of the sky. He was faint again, and it had nothing to do with working too hard.

"See, a little Vitamin D is good for you!" she laughed. "Do you know when you should get back?"

"Oh, Cress and Chili can hold down the fort if I'm gone for awhile," Cilan answered, never wanting to go back unless she went with him. (Note that, back at the cafe, there was a fire in the kitchen and one group that was threatening to sue.) "What do you want to do? Maybe go to Nuvema or Accumula?"

"No," she replied, her tiny face in her hands. "You're a secret. It's always been a dream of mine ot have a secret friend. I think that's normal." Cilan knew very much about her dreams. They were her favorite thing to talk about, even though it was obvious that many would never be fulfilled; he could die happy _again_ knowing that he contributed to one of them coming true.

"Then what would you like to do?" he asked, not caring unless she was there too.

"Hmm... Oh, let's go to that topiary garden! And the Daycare!"

"The Daycare is probably closed, but the topiary garden sounds good," he explained.

"Then lead the way!" she said excitedly. Cilan did as she said, not even trying to get rid of the smile on his face as she trotted next to him, keeping up with his big steps. "Wait... Cilan?"

"Yes?"

"What's a topiary?"

When he showed her, her eyes filled with wonder unlike any other. They agreed to go see the Daycare another day as she sniffed the Pidove sculpture, where little yellow flowers were glittering in the setting sun.

* * *

><p>"I'm in love with her," Cilan said as he cleaned silverware.<p>

"We know," Cress said.

"Everyone does," Chili laughed.

"She's beautiful, and adorably awkward, and I love her."

"We know," Cress repeated.

"Everytime she leaves she breaks my heart by calling me a friend, then repairs it with her smile."

"That's the friend-zone," Cress explained as Chili whistled "Taps".

"What do I do?" Cilan exclaimed, irritated at his brother's lack of help.

"Ask her out, man!" Chili answered. "Go all out!"

"I agree with Chili, for once," Cress said, putting a shimmering fork in its place. "She's been here many times. I bet she'd say yes." A bowl of various berries and a roll of paper towels were knocked across the floor as Cilan faced his brother.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I do." And, despite his stoic tone, Cilan knew he meant it.

* * *

><p>"So, you remember that time I told you we'd go to the Daycare?" Cilan asked the mirror. "Well, what if that was- no, no, that's stupid. Hey Gracie, wouldn't it... wouldn't it be funny if we woke up tomorrow and were boyfriend and girlfriend?" As lame as it sounded when it came out of his mouth, he couldn't help but think Gracie would love it. Cilan was debating whether that was a good way to ask her when the door opened, and he saw the tops of Cress and Chili's heads. "Hey guys, do you know when Gracie's getting here?"<p>

Cilan turned around and knew something was wrong.

Chili was frowning. Chili never frowned.

"Why are you frowning?" he whispered. His red-haired brother stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Chili, why are you frowning?!"

"Cilan." His whiteless eyes, eyes like Gracie's, shifted to his other brother. To most people, it was the same stoic expression. But Cilan could see into the cracks; he saw plenty of emotion.

"Why..."

"Gracie's dead." The words were surreal, like a canon hit him in the stomach and disappeared immediately afterwards. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real it wasn't real it wasn't real-

"It's real," Chili choked out. "She fell. In Accumula."

"Fell..." Cilan felt faint. He had never felt faint before he met Gracie. But her smile made his heart beat unnaturally fast, her curious expression made him ache. Her smile. Her expression. She was gone now.

Cilan fell against the table, knocking down most of its contents as he dropped to his knees.

Chili and Cress, who knew more about him than anyone, closed the door and left him alone as his sobs echoed through the halls.

* * *

><p>For the first time in most of Striaton's younger resident's lives, the "Closed" sign hung limply, lifelessly, from the door of the Striaton Cafe.<p>

**Author's Note: Right as Cress told him, "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift started playing, and I cried. This is even worse than I initially thought.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


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